Geist
by Kaito Ikari
Summary: In a world where the hunting and slaying of monsters is seen as a heroic act, it comes to no surprise that Jaune too wants to be seen as a hero. Still, one problem persists. What if he himself is the monster? (Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

**So this was an idea that randomly struck me in a dream :v**

 **Dunno if I'm gonna leave it like this or continue it.**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Phantom of the Knight**

A rare kindness. Something his parents shouldn't have shown him. And yet, Jaune felt grateful. Grateful that they allowed him to see an event such as this. An event that would surely distract him from his usual life.

Bathed in the spotlight, Weiss Schnee sang her heart out, about the burdens of one cursed with loneliness. Though Jaune had never known her, never heard about her, he felt like he could relate. No, he did relate. She couldn't be older than his own fourteen, yet she seemed as alone as he.

Jaune couldn't contain the sigh that escaped his lips as the heiress continued to sing. He felt his sorrows and melancholy melt away into nothingness as he stared at her.

"No."

Jaune flinched as he heard his father's quiet, yet strong word. Did he catch him staring at her longingly? The glare he received was enough to make shivers run down his spine. His father had that look to him that could probably very easily kill a Grimm.

 _Maybe that's his intention._

Why did they bring him all the way to Vale anyway? Just to make him suffer? Didn't they already do that enough at home?

Jaune let his gaze wander. The Schnee concert hall was grandiose, of that there was no doubt. The lights were dimmed, yet he could still marvel at the amazing decorations the building held. Taller than any building he had seen at home, the hall's impressive size took his breath away. The walls, even in the slim darkness, could still be made out, dotted with the Schnee logo as well as other forms of ice-related symbols. Why were they so obsessed with ice and snow anyway? Jaune preferred the sun and summer. They were warm. He hated the cold. Especially the cold that his father's look gave him.

Despite his misery, Jaune continued to enjoy the performance. Rouge, his baby sister, on the other hand, not so much. Jaune hushed at her, but she continued to squirm and whine, which was getting increasingly louder by the looks of it. Some people had even turned around to stare at them.

 _Wait, did Weiss Schnee just falter? Oh crap! She can hear us all the way up here?!_

Harder than he intended to, he slapped his hand on Rouge's mouth, noticing the warning look of his family far too late.

A scream erupted from the child's mouth through his hand, loud enough that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare it to a Nevermore's. Startled, Jaune fell from his seat.

Right into the crowd below.

 _OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEE_

He was scared for his life, that much was sure. With a less than manly scream, he crashed into a few people, knocking them around and causing an even bigger commotion. Pain erupted in his body, especially the head which had taken the brunt of the fall. Stars danced in his eyes as he tried to re-orientate, reaching out to find any sort of hold.

If the high-pitched scream coming from the woman was any indicator, he had the wrong kind of hold.

The stars erupted into a small universe as his face received the hardest slap he had ever felt in his life. Then, a fist, no doubt from her husband, joined. Jaune's vision was getting blacker by the second. At this point, he could've assumed his eyes were permanently out of commission.

"Sorry, sorry sorry!" he slurred, trying not to bite his tongue in the absolute chaos that he totally didn't create.

 _Okay, maybe it was half my fault. It's also Rouge's fault though!_

In a sort of strange pirouette, Jaune fought his way through the people who were less than keen on him touching them or bumping into them. He just wanted to survive, was that so hard to understand?! Besides, he couldn't really see at the moment, so they couldn't really fault him for all the bruises he would cause, right?

 _Oh, they totally will. I can already see the court cases on the horizon._

It was only after a strong hand took hold of his shoulder that he allowed himself a moment of relief. It felt like he had been swimming in a river with a current so strong it threatened to get him to a waterfall. The hand was his safety net, maybe a hanging branch or something.

"Thank you," Jaune said happily to the man with a smile as his vision cleared. Lips tightly sealed, a freezing gaze set on his face, Jacques Schnee seemed less than pleased.

* * *

"I can't believe you agreed to this! It was obvious he was going to be causing trouble!"

"I thought we'd make him happy for a change. Have you ever thought about what he's feeling, Enciel? Have you?!"

Jaune began to tune out his parents' fight. It was the same almost everytime he caused any sort of disturbance, even if it wasn't even under the influence of **it**. He should be used to this by now, but he wasn't and probably never will be. With a sigh, he turned away from the arguing couple in front of the cell and decided to stare at the drab grey walls instead.

 _To think the concert hall has a prison underneath...what sort of place is this? Or rather, was it?_

A prison indeed. Sometimes that's what his life felt like. Trapped in unforeseen, uncontrollable circumstances. Cursed with a life that he always wished would be better. But he knew it wouldn't do well to dwell on dreams. To have them was fine, but...

"Jaune..."

Turning around to see Saphron try to press her hand between the bars, Jaune couldn't help but sigh.

"You don't have to force yourself, Saph."

Saphron had always been the most mature one. She had always been the one who tried to connect with Jaune despite his being different. And not in a "he's a bit strange" kinda way. Despite his circumstance, Saphron had always tried to be for him, let him know she cares.

Pretend like she cares, anyway. He didn't believe one bit of it. He could see the fear in her eyes even at that moment.

"No!" she exclaimed forcefully and managed to press her hand through the cell door.

 _And now she's stuck. Somehow I feel like this is also my fault._

"We love you, I promise. Your situation is just...complicated."

Saphron forced a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her blue eyes. With another shuddering exhalation, Jaune avoided her eyes, staring at the floor below instead.

 _Looks like somebody managed to escape this cell if this badly covered hole is any indication._

"Jaune..." Saphron almost whined. He kept ignoring her in favor of staring at a crack where the wall and floor connected.

 _Somebody was angry and kicked the wall. Must've hurt._

"Jauney..."

 _Okay, I give up._

Sighing, Jaune grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. With a relieved smile, Saph pulled her hand back.

Or rather, tried to. It was stuck. As expected.

"Uh, Saph?" Jaune asked. The girl just waved it off while laughing. She shrieked when Jaune stood up, causing him to flinch.

"I can help!" he yelled, desperate to do even one little thing right. Not a single time in his life had he ever done good. Everything he did was bad. Now was his chance! He reached out to the bars, and-

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

With a roar matching that of a ferocious tiger, the head of the Arc family stared Jaune down. Jaune flinched, retracting his hand as if he had been burnt. Felt like it too.

"I just-" Jaune tried to explain, but felt the words die in his throat. What did he want to try?

"I...I won't do it again. I'm sorry."

With a stern nod, Enciel Arc turned to one of the confused guards stationed outside the cell, negotiating for his release. Jaune felt guilt welling up inside of him. After all that, they still tried to help him? Him, the villain, the monster?

 _I probably won't ever understand._

* * *

After some harsh words were said (all of them towards him) and some money was lost, the family silently made their way back to the bullhead to get home. Night had fallen.

Jaune's mind was in turmoil. He had to keep his emotions in check, but it seemed an almost impossible task. He flinched when he felt a pain in his bandaged left shoulder, the source of all his troubles.

"You okay?" asked his second oldest sister Indigo, concerned. Jaune waved her off, feeling the slightest sense of joy that somebody actually cared about him. At least on the surface. But hey, you gotta take what you get.

Still, the sensations grew stronger. Jaune was beginning to breathe more heavily, eyes darting around to see if anyone noticed. Apart from Indigo, nobody seemed to pay attention to him, engrossed in some conversation about what things they're gonna buy once they all got home. It was a peaceful sight.

Jaune probably would have tried to join the conversation, but right now he was too busy fighting off the sensations he was feeling. Those...those cravings were getting stronger by the second. Somebody nearby...somebody...kil-

 _No! Snap out of it!_

Jaune felt his knees weakening and crumbled to the floor.

His mother was by his side immediately.

"Jean!" His father snapped.

She just shot his father a look. Jaune's eyes fluttered shut, sensations upon sensations intruding in his mind. He felt bile rise up.

"B-bathroom," he whispered, and ran, ignoring the startled yelps from his mother.

He didn't come very far though, as he bumped into a drunkard who had just emerged from what appeared to be a bar.

"S-sorry!" Jaune hastily apologized, eyes darting around to find a public bathroom. The man's eyes narrowed as he stumbled and swayed, no doubt a victim of one drink too many.

"Watch it...kid, professional huntsmen don't take kindly to sudden attacks," the blonde huntsman said, terrifyingly reminding Jaune of his father, though the latter would never touch a bottle of alcohol in front of his family. "Might mistake ye fer a Grimm."

Jaune's blood ran cold. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that, right?" He chuckled nervously, sweat bathing his brow with moisture. He'd heard tales of huntsmen and huntresses, but he couldn't remember for the life of him if they could sense a Grimm's presence.

 _Please just go away, please just go away, please just go a-_

"Run along kid," the man slurred, pushing him aside. "Got better things to do."

That was close. Jaune breathed a sigh in relief as soon as the man was out of sight. That was stressful. So stressful in fact, that they somehow made his earlier nausea disappear. Touching his shoulder idly, Jaune wondered what was going o-

It came back stronger than before. Unable to hold it in, Jaune threw up on the pavement, attracting the disgusted look of several people passing by.

 _Need to get...away from here..._

Mind an endless haze of mist, Jaune staggered away, determined to escape the horrified looks of the **humans**.

Jaune blinked as he supported himself on a brick wall near a blacksmith, trying to clear his mind.

 _A dark alley in the middle of the night? Wonderful idea, Arc._

At least there was nothing around except an old piece of armor in a dumpster can that desperately required cleaning.

 _Wait, cleaning a trashcan? Seriously? Man, I must really be out of it. Or did I mean the suit of armor?_

The dark emotions refused to part with him still. Jaune tried his best to keep them inside. If they were to ever erupt...that would be a very, very bad thing. He felt like that piece of armor. Discarded, too dangerous perhaps. Maybe that sword sticking out was too dangerous too.

 _Think of happy things, think of happy things, think of happy-_

Jaune cursed when none came to mind. There had to be some, right? He was certain of it! So why wouldn't they come?

A female yelp nearby almost made him jump.

"What the-?" He called out, hiding behind the dumpster. His eyes widened at the scene before him.

 _Weiss Schnee? Isn't she supposed to be at the concert? What's she doing here?_

That wasn't the main source of his concern, however. It was the drunk adult men reeking of alcohol grabbing her hand. So much even, that Jaune could smell it from his hiding spot several feet away.

"Give it up, beauty," one of the men grinned. "I've never had the honor of meeting a Schnee before. Heard they're pretty. Weren't lying, them rumors."

To her credit, Weiss didn't seem all too concerned.

"Hmph. Let go of me or else you'll be facing the wrath of the Schnee family, especially my sister, dirty animal." She grinned. Jaune's mind went blank. She might be acting strong now, but there were three adults, all seemingly towering over her in terms of size and even mass. Wait, was that a bruise on her cheek?

 _This could be my chance to be the hero._

Jaune blinked. But could it really? What if he lost control and hurt her instead of them? No, he wasn't strong enough. She was probably strong enough to take care of herself anyway.

With a sigh, he turned away.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Jaune lost control.

* * *

POV Change

Weiss Schnee was not stupid, no, she was smarter than anyone she knew. She was also way more skilled in the ways of the sword, her fencing prowess unparalleled. However, what wasn't so strong about her, was her patience, especially in the presence of mere commoners.

She had just wanted to get a breath of fresh air after that absolute dolt ruined her performance. Sure, it was humorous to witness her father's ire directed at someone else, but it also meant she had to perform again at a later juncture. She was already nervous enough before the first, now she had to do it again?

She gritted her teeth as she mentally stabbed that blonde kid with her training rapier.

 _The rapier I... forgot in my room in the concert hall..._

She wasn't stupid! She just...people made mistakes!

 _It's human nature after all. Of course, I make fewer mistakes than others. That's a given. Besides, what dangers could lurk in a city such as Vale anyway?_

Knowing full well that was and will be the only mistake in her life, she explored the city of Vale. It was a nice and quaint place, but couldn't be compared to her home back in Atlas, of course. Still, she supposed it had a sort of charm to it.

After avoiding someone who looked far too much like the troublemaker earlier -and who was throwing up on the road too- Weiss felt herself drawn to a blacksmith. Sure, they had master engineers back in Atlas, but she wanted to know how the simple folk made weapons. It was closed, but she still peered inside. She could make out a few simple weapons, ranging from swords to bows to a mace even. Weiss' lips formed a thin line.

 _How brutish._

"Oi, what'chu doin' here, girlie?"

Weiss immediately felt a shiver run down her spine as soon as the rough hand touched her shoulder. Ducking immediately, she prevented the person from getting ahold of her.

"What do you want?" She asked, eyes narrowing. The man was very, very unkempt and obviously drunk. She wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't seen a glass of normal water in ages. Not only that, he reeked like someone she really didn't want to think about at the moment.

"Woah there, girlie. I just want to talk. Not every day we see a beauty showing her face around here."

Weiss growled. She knew his kind, but only from observing. Those are the kinds of predators that Winter had warned her about. The ones that only care about their own satisfaction. Her eyes fell on the gun on the man's belt.

 _That's not good._

The situation got even worse when the man whistled and two others came, looking just as depressingly disgusting as he.

"I...I have somewhere to be," Weiss said, trying to remain calm, and pushed her way through the trio of drunkards. But she didn't get very far when a strong hand reached out and dragged her into the alleyway next to the blacksmith.

"Let go of me!" She screamed and tried to bite the hand of the man, to no avail. Either his aura was too strong or the man was just too drunk to notice. She tried harder. Still nothing.

But Weiss Schnee wasn't somebody who gave up easily! With a deep breath, she focused her mind, remembering the training she had undergone ever since she'd been a child.

 _Remain calm, Weiss. Don't let your emotions take co-_

She didn't expect a fist to hit her so suddenly, breaking her concentration. This wasn't the first time she had been hit, but it hurt all the same. For the first time in her life, she felt afraid. As she looked in the terrifyingly furious look of the man and the sneers of the ones behind him, she sensed her will withering away like a Grimm after being slain.

"So you're a Schnee, aren't you? Don't try any funny business now," the man grinned after slamming her into the dead end of the alley, baring his teeth. Two of them were more pronounced and more canine than human.

 _A faunus. Of course._

That didn't help her fear in the slightest. Sure, he may not look like a White Fang member, but they knew how to conceal themselves. She'd heard enough stories about their terrible crusades to know that they would never be merciful. She'd seen enough friends and family members disappear.

 _Am I next? No, it can't be...I still have so much to live for!_

With a deep breath, she focused her emotions and froze them, imagining the icylakes she had so often visited.

 _Calm, serene, in control. Try again._

Again, she could barely create the tiniest glyph before she got hit again. This time, she knew when to avoid it, but it still graced her, causing her to yelp.

"Give it up, beauty. I've never had the honor of meeting a Schnee before. Heard they're pretty. Weren't lying, them rumors."

That disgustingly lecherous smile of the faunus made her shiver. But a Schnee never backed down. Not even in the face of danger, a Grimm, let alone a mere animal. She needed a good threat. Thankfully, a certain person appeared in her mind. "Hmph. Let go of me or else you'll be facing the wrath of the Schnee family, especially my sister, dirty animal," Weiss taunted, feeling a smile blossom. Surely the Schnee name would be enough to incite fear in those brutes.

She was wrong.

With eyes wide, she struggled as the faunus' hand grabbed her by the chin, pulling her closer to him. So close she could even see the pores in his skin. She felt nauseous from the stench he was emitting.

"Heard she's pretty too. We're gonna go after her next, Snow Angel. But first," he licked his lips. "You're my prey."

He leaned in.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Weiss screamed.

He didn't get very far. With wide eyes she witnessed the animal go down almost immediately after a blow struck his head.

 _What was that?_

She backed into the wall even further when she saw the other two go down. Their aura prevented any major injuries, so they stood up again, sluggishly, but went down again.

The knight kept striking them with its sword, over and over and over, until she could see their aura visibly vanish with a glow of light. He had been slow in his attack, but they were too drunk to defend themselves properly.

And then, they were simply...gone. Weiss fell to her knees, almost hyperventilating, trying to get away from the blood pooling before her. She'd heard stories of huntsmen slain in battle, but she never imagined a battle would be this horrid to witness. No, this wasn't a battle.

 _This was a massacre._

A squeaky, rusty noise made her jump.

"Wait, no..."

The shattered moonlight reflected off the knight's rusty silver armor, showing his completely empty eyeslits. He raised his sword, no doubt to cut her down as well.

With a yell, Weiss instinctively dodged, the sword narrowly missing her left eye.

 _Come on, focus. Glyphs, glyphs, GLYPHS!_

She couldn't focus at all. Even as the knight prepared another strike, she couldn't move.

"This is it..." Weiss whispered, a lone tear streaking her face. She smiled. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, Winter..."

The finishing blow never came. In shock, Weiss saw the knight struggle to hold his sword, finally dropping it with a clang.

 _MOVE!_

It took Weiss every ounce of her willpower to run away. Even so, she dared to look back one last time to see the piece of armor collapse, revealing the Geist she had suspected took control of it. It turned towards her slowly, revealing the Grimm boneplate on its face. It floated in mid-air, slowly flying towards her, skeletal arms reaching for her as its single eye glowed menacingly.

 _Run!_

After she had finally managed to escape it, she searched for the Vale Police Department in a hurry, not caring about anything else. Still, even during her account, she omitted one key detail that made her shudder as if a frozen wind had been blown through her entire body. She didn't want to remember. It must have been a trick of the light, right? It should be yellow, right?

The blue eye of the Geist still lingered in her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**One word. Woah. I seriously didn't expect so many people to be interested in what I wrote. It was a spur of a moment thing, a nice idea. Like many other things I did, I expected it to be nothing more but a single shot of a chapter and then abandonded. Now, however, I shall continue this. My dream is to write a book, after all. So why not practice here?**  
 **Seeing as English is not my first language, I welcome any kind of criticism! Except the ones that just hate on this without giving me a reason.**

 **Also, thank you for the three reviews! This is adressed to two of them:  
I'm afraid there won't be any harem in this story seeing as I'm not eactly a fan of them. There will, however be a pairing or two. Who, you may ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and see :3**

 **Additionally, I borrowed the name of Jaune's home village, Ansel, from a very famous RWBY fanfiction author: Coeur al'Aran! Well, at least I think he created the name...**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts/Dreams_

 ** _Flashback...of sorts_**

* * *

 **Prisoner of Life**

 _Strike after strike, with mad laughter befitting of a monster, I slash at her, tearing her flesh and igniting her screams of terror. With every blow I deal, my satisfaction grows, my pleasure almost growing to unbelievable measures. This is a nice life. I can't believe I would even think about throwing it away!_

 _With another grin on my face, I advance towards the heiress, blood pooling under her feet. She's breathing still. Good. Dead humans are not as fun as the ones who are still able to scream. Kyehehehe..._  
 _But alas, all fun must come to an end someday. Say goodbye, Snow Angel._

"NO!"

With a scream, Jaune fell from his bed.

 _That dream again? Come on, it's been three years..._

The blonde sighed, shaking his head. When was this dream going to stop haunting him? He never injured the girl back then, let alone murder her. So why was this dream always coming back?

Feeling a sudden pain, Jaune grabbed his left arm, only to retract it as if he'd been singed.

"Not again..." He sighed, observing the curious black mist emerging from the appendage, black veins embracing it like a giant spider. Claws on what had been and probably still was his hand. An unbelievable sight.

 _Yet there's no denying the truth._

Jaune calmed his emotions and let his thoughts rest. Soon he could feel the blackened skin return to his skin in a cloud of smoke until there was nothing left but his own flesh. Jaune clenched his fist several times until he was satisfied.

 _You better stay there, monster._

If one took a single look at him, they'd think there was nothing out of place. At least that's what he hoped.

A normal life, that's all he wished for. His luck couldn't have been worse.

"Tch."

 _Hold your emotions, Jaune._

He hated having to tell himself that. Every day, every hour, every time he felt even the slightest bit upset. He hated it, he hated it with every fiber of his being. With a yell, he punched the wall closest to him. No blood. How disappointing. While it was an admirable effort of his father to unlock his aura, that man's hopes had been dashed immediately. The manifestation of his soul, his forcefield, pure soul energy, pure light...it didn't manage to rid him of the Grimm. It was pointless. All it did was rid him of the satisfaction of hurting himself.

Jaune's eye twitched as he stared at himself in the mirror. Dull blue eyes glared at him like he was the source of all his problems.

 _Well, none of this is my fucking fault! Grimm...Geist...Why did you choose me, huh?! Why me?! You shouldn't even have survived!_  
No answer. Jaune let out a deep growl. After basically tearing his shirt from his body, he ripped his bandages open.

 _Answer me, monster!_  
The bone plate right above his heart didn't answer, its single yellow eye glowing as if nothing bothered it. Jaune gulped when he saw the mask-like head it slowly traveling upwards.

 _Not again. Calm your emotions, Jaune. Breathe in...breathe out..._

Soon enough, the Grimm's face stopped and moved back to its original place right above his heart, resuming its glowing.

 _That was close. The smoke could have come out any second._

The adrenaline gone, Jaune felt himself drawn to his bed again. Sighing, he checked himself in the mirror again. He couldn't even gather any more energy to be mad at the Geist. As long as he didn't have any more dreams concerning murder, he should be fine, right? Please, Gods, just let him rest.

The day had already begun judging from the sun shining its light into the interior of his room. He didn't care. All he wanted was sleep. So he closed his curtains to block out the unyielding spring sunlight, reapplied the bandage before dressing himself and went to bed, not before marking another day in his calendar, however.

 _Days of my house arrest: 1027_

His life really was a prison.

* * *

A peaceful slumber was a rarity for him. So it came to no surprise that another dream tormented his rest.

 _I am running away, trying to escape through a narrow passage. It's dark. So dark I can't even see anything. It's coming closer. It has no footsteps but I can feel it. The dread it emanates. The destruction it oh so yearns for. I look behind me. There it is, floating at a pace that should be slow, yet unyieldingly fast at the same time. It reaches out, but it's too far behind._

 _It's in front of me, reaching out. This is it. I'm dead. It stares me in the face, coming closer and closer. I can hear its rattling breath, like frozen chains struggling to break free. Its singular blue eye stares at me. My blue eye. It has my eye. It comes ever closer..._

 _"Jaune."_

Jaune woke with a start, hearing the fist softly knocking on his door. His heart was beating rapidly, threatening to jump out of his chest. He was breathing heavily, sweat running down his face.

 _Sheesh, that was a new one._

"Jauwey?" A small voice said from the other side of the door. "Can't sleep."

 _But isn't it almost twelve already?_

The boy in question sighed. Rouge, (Pure, innocent Rouge) was still too young to realize how much of a danger he was. She'd always come to him whenever she was upset, though he was never able to understand why. Maybe it's something to do with little kids. He'd read enough horror stories to know that innocent children always get drawn into some sort of nightmare tale. He never let her into his room.

"Go away, Rouge."

"Nu."

 _Such a stubborn child._

As soon as he heard the kid knock on his door even harder (to the rhythm of the Pumpkin Pete jingle no less), Jaune found his resolve crumbling. He was lonely. He never ever saw his family and was afraid that he was going to forget how they looked like in a moment's time. Maybe he should just let her in. Just this once. After all, what's the worst that could happen? She just wanted to talk, that's all.

 _But wait, the door's locked. Oh well._

* * *

"So, why can't you sleep?" Jaune asked the little girl sat on his lap. Somehow she had managed to snatch the key from wherever it was hidden and slid it underneath the doorframe. Jaune wasn't sure whether to be concerned or proud of such a little trickster.

He was wildly uncomfortable with such a precious and fragile thing so close to him. One wrong move and-

 _Calm down. Right._

"What's wrong, sis?" Jaune asked the girl bouncing up and down. She just grinned and remained silent, making him frown.

"Uh..."

"Want to see you," she said, poking his nose with a finger. Jaune's frown grew. See him? Why? He vocalized his question.

"You are not around. Never," she whispered, looking down and pouting. Jaune's heart ached, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"I can't, Rouge. Father forbid- doesn't allow me to go outside."

"Why?"

 _There it is. The dreaded question._

"I'm not a good person," he said slowly, making sure Rouge understood. "I'm dangerous and I've done bad things. You wouldn't be able to understand, but I've done things you can't imagine. Sometimes I feel like I don't even deserve to be alive at all. After all, what good am I to society? All I do is take, take, take. I wanted to be a huntsman, but which academy would even take me? Sure, nobody knows about my secret, but I've never trained before, I'm useless. Not only that-"

It was only after Rouge shook his head with both her hands that he realized that he was blabbering.

 _Not like she'd understand anyway._

"Huntsman. What's a huntsman?" The blonde girl asked, testing the word. Her sparkling blue eyes looked at him, expecting an answer.

"They're uh...heroes. They protect Remnant from dangers like the Grimm. Big, black monsters?"  
To emphasize the point, Jaune let out a weak roar. Rouge giggled and hid under his blankets.

Sighing, Jaune pat the lump.

 _You're lucky to be this innocent._

"Rouge? Rouge?" A voice called from somewhere. Jaune recognized the gruff voice immediately.

"Come now, sis. Hurry on back to your father," Jaune whispered, ripping the blanket away from her. She whined and pouted, but that was not what he needed right now. If Father found out...

"Fine."

Relieved, he watched his sister trot out of his room, carefully closing it behind her. She even locked it with the key again. How considerate.

He was alone again. At least nothing had happened while she was here.

 _I'm too weak._

The last time he had seen a friendly face was...no, now wasn't the time to think about it. Still, even the mere thought of **her**...

It wasn't coming, but Jaune would have welcomed the black cloud of annihilation, were it to appear at this exact moment. He wanted a distraction, an excuse to calm down. He **needed** an excuse to calm down. An excuse to rid his mind of horrid memories that just keep on resurfacing, over and over and over!  
He just wanted a break from all this. One time, after that incident in Vale, he attempted to do the unthinkable after returning to Ansel, but that didn't go so well. The Geist just showed its ugly head and terrorized the village instead. Why it even survived an attack on a place surely filled with huntsmen was still beyond him. After that, his prison life began. Even though Jaune was certain the Geist could escape easily, but damn him if he let that happen!

 _Why are you so complicated, Grimm? Why can't you be just like your mindless brethren and die easily?_  
There was the possibility Jaune would die as well, but...

 _I'm willing to take the risk._

But for now, he was nothing more than a prisoner, both in his life and his room. The walls were not made of stone, but even the warm maroon color of the tapestry was merely a tiny light in the dark. The windows were locked to only open enough to let air in, but not enough for him to sneak out. The window panes were shatterproof, not that he'd attempt that. All he had was a bed, a bookshelf and, what bothered him the most, a toilet that they built to keep **accidents** from happening. It must've cost a good lien to build, which didn't help his guilt at all.

Cursing himself, Jaune staggered to his bookshelf, all thoughts of sleep and rest gone. There were only a few books, most of them fairy tales bought when he was still little. Back when he wasn't as dangerous.

 _Come to think of it, when did the Grimm enter my body in the first place?_

He had no answer to that question. All he knew that it just appeared one day. Mindlessly grumbling to himself, Jaune picked a random book.

 _"The Beowerewolf"_

That book had been a constant in his tiny collection, a reminder of his curse, and yet a tiny spark of hope. If the boy in the story could be cured, could he? Jaune knew that his parents used to be looking for a cure all the time, consulting historians, doctors, experts in the field of Grimm. None came up with an answer, only saying that his mere existence was an enigma by itself. Geists, the only known Grimm to be able to possess inanimate objects, shouldn't have been able to survive within him. The human soul was pure light, a Grimm pure destruction. It should have been eaten up immediately.

Instead, it survived to haunt his body. And that stroke of luck made him furious.

"Raaaaaagh!"

Anger coursing through him, he punched the Grimm's face under his shirt. It did nothing except send a jolt of pain through his heart, that was it. No reaction from the monster itself. It was probably just glowing from under his shirt, waiting for its chance to break free yet again.

"Jaune...?"  
The soft voice of Saphron coming from the other side of the door broke the blonde out of his thoughts. He returned the book immediately.

"Yes? What is it?" He asked. Nobody ever came here, well except Rouge just now, but that was already pretty uncommon. For somebody, his oldest sister, to come here...something must be up.

"I just...wanted to say goodbye. I'm moving away," she whispered. Jaune could've sworn he heard sorrow in her voice. That, and the relief he was already expecting.

His world shattered.

"So...you finally got sick of me, huh? I guess that's to be expected. I was foolish to hope," Jaune said while growling, finding sick satisfaction in hearing her gasp.

 _What's wrong with me?_

"No, that's not it! You know I love you, **we** love you!"

"Funny way of showing it. It's been-," Jaune took a look at his calender. "Exactly 1027 days since I've been stuck here, never to see the light of day. If that's love, I don't think I ever want to experience it."

Silence. Jaune narrowed his eyes, not caring if Geist felt something. Of course she had nothing else to say. He was sick and tired of hearing her lies. At least the other Arcs were honest. Saphron hid her disdain of him underneath a layer of-

"I'm getting married."

 _Wait what?_

"E-excuse me?" Jaune stuttered. "When did- What- Eh?"

He could hear her sigh from the other side of the door.

"This summer. That's...that's all."

All he could hear afterward were her choking on tears and running off. Jaune couldn't think. He couldn't say anything. He felt...nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Falling to the floor, only one thought ran through his mind.

"I never even got the chance to threaten the guy that if he ever hurt my sister..."

With a sigh, he let the despair run free. He could've sworn he heard a laugh of victory. Not from outside, but from within him.

* * *

 _What happened? Where am I?_

When Jaune woke up, he was lying on the floor. No, not floor, the ground. Fresh green spring grass tickled his undersides as they swayed in the wind. Jaune groaned and pushed himself up. It looked like he was close to a forest, the one close to Ansel hopefully. It had a name, but his mind was too much of an utter chaotic mess to remember.

"Gods...what now?" He groaned, letting his eyes adjust to the view of the hills. Flowers adorned the place, ranging from white to yellow. Somewhat far away, he could see their house.

At this moment he noticed something on top of him, almost shining in the sunlight.

"YAH!?" Jaune screamed and scurried away. A monster, an animal?! Breathing heavily, he inspected the object, finally recognizing it after his mind had cleared. There was no doubt about the white blade (no, sheath) and the handle wrapped in blue. It had seen better times, that much was certain. Maybe it was because Jaune had only seen it from afar, but he always imagined the blade to be much more ornate, shiny and elegant. As it looked right now -he unsheathed the sword and activated the shield- It looked no more different than any ordinary sword. Still, it was worth a lot, both in the sentimental and the historical sense. Crocea Mors...

 _Why is it here with me though?_  
Not many possibilities sprung into the boy's mind. Did the Geist possess the sword and run off with it, thinking it a threat? Had **he** tried to do the unthinkable yet again, only to fail and have Geist emerge? No, that couldn't be it, actually. His memory loss was right after Saphron left.

Immediately, sorrow stung his eyes. With a sigh, he wiped the angry tears away, very glad that not many Grimm patrolled the edge of Ansel here in Mistral.  
 _But what's the reason then? What's your reason, monster?_

 **"ROOOOOOOOOAR!"**

...what did he just say about being glad no Grimm patrolled the area? Forget it.

With almost an unholy screech, Jaune ducked to dodge the incoming Ursa swipe, crawling away as fast as he could.

"Now's not the time!" He yelled at the Grimm, only to receive another growl in response. The mighty beast stood on its hind legs and let out another powerful roar. Its fangs were probably sharp enough to pierce his skin even through his aura. At least it had no spikes, meaning it wasn't a Major. Still, its look was murderous and definitely aimed at him.

 _Alright, time to run._

And run he did, but not before picking up the family sword from where it laid. But, seeing as he wasn't exactly the luckiest person in the world...

He tripped. Hard. He fell on his nose. Hard.

He could feel the Ursa's warm breath on his back, the monster probably ready to devour him. Why didn't he do it? He was probably thinking about whether or not he was tasty, but it was inevitable. This was it. He's gonna die a villain, a monster. He had always wanted to be a hero, but that dream was about to be dissolved into nothing but hot air. People have dreams, but to dwell on them...

 _NO!_  
With sudden fire rushing through his veins, Jaune crawled away from the Grimm's maw, scowling. The Ursa seemed confused.  
 _I'm not going to die!_

Sword in hand, he held his shield in front of him, sword at his side in a stance he had often seen his father hold.

 _I will be a hero!_

Why he had that sudden burst of energy, he didn't know. But all that mattered here was that he was not going down without a fight. Call it the Arc pride, call it foolishness, call it a strange suicide instinct. He was going to fight.

"Die, monster," was all that left Jaune's mouth, before he charged with a roar.

His first strike hit the Grimm's boney face, doing little but annoy the beast. The monster roared and swiped at Jaune's side, making him wince. Thankfully, his aura was there to protect him, but it didn't reduce the pain he felt. Jaune struck again, aiming at an unprotected area of black flesh.

He missed. Cursing, Jaune steeled himself, raising the shield so that the deadly claws only scratched its surface instead of his own skin.

 _ **The Creatures of Grimm are dangerous, but mindless. With enough strategy you can defeat any of them. An Ursa is a classic example. They're one of the more common ones and not very dangerous to your professional huntsman. They usually attack in packs though. Got that Jaune? Good. I suggest beheading an Ursa to defeat it. Aim for its neck!**_  
Jaune blinked at the sudden lecture that popped into his mind. He never went to any combat schools, so why-

He didn't have time to think as the nightmare bear basically slapped him and sent him soaring through the air. Groaning, Jaune landed on his back. He got up almost immediately.

 _Wait, the sword. Crocea Mors! Where is it?!_  
Without any weapon, all Jaune could do was run around in circles. The Grimm followed him, now on all fours, making it a much faster threat. Cursing, Jaune picked up pace, huffing and puffing.

 _Where the hell is- There!_  
The sword landed in a bush near the forest, the shield not too far behind. Pushing himself even further, he finally managed to grab the hilt of the weapon, but had no time to get the shield.

The Ursa slammed into his back, knocking him against a tree further away. Black spots appeared in his vision, and he felt pain all over. Groaning, Jaune tried to climb up, but a headache formed all too quickly. At least Crocea Mors was still in his hand, clutched tight.

It seemed the sudden collision had disoriented the Grimm as well, but it recovered far too quickly. Definitely pissed, the bear stomped towards him. Still on the floor, Jaune tried his best to get up, failing.

 _ **Jaune, try your best!**_  
Stop those memories! They didn't help his headache in the least. Additionally, they made him angry for some reason. Very, very angry.

The beast advanced even further, readying itself to pounce. It jumped into the air, ready to deal the killing blow.

 _ **Jaune, what are you-? No...NO!**_

A scream resonated and cut through the air. Blade in hand, Jaune slashed a diagonal line through the air, aimed directly at the monster's neck. The head came clean off, like a knife through butter. It vanished into nothingness.

The body it belonged to staggered for a few seconds until it eventually fell, evaporating as well.

Jaune was breathing heavily, black smoke obscuring his vision, but that soon cleared.

 _I did it. I defeated a Grimm._

Softly landing in the grass, the sword fell from his grasp. He should have felt victorious. Instead, he felt nothing but exhaustion.

 _ **You did it, Jaune! Good job training today! Don't tell Dad though, okay?**_

A soft smile bloomed on his face, followed by a single tear. He could never escape his prison of life, could he? No matter what he did, no matter what memories he held, even the happy ones, all of them were stained by Geist.

"Thank you, Zinnia. I'm sorry, sis."


	3. Chapter 3

**Phew, this chapter was a bit rushed. No sugarcoating, I was lazy. But that's the reason why I put a deadline on myself, to stop that sort of laziness! Otherwise this chapter wouldn't have come out in weeks...**

 **So yeah, every Friday. When it doesn't seem to be there, just check the latest chapter. If something came up, I'll update that to let you guys know.**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

 ** _Memories_**

 **Update 2/6/2019: There'll most like won't be a new chapter this week, seeing as I've been sick for the most part this week. My apologies.**

* * *

 **A Forest of Candlewicks and Ice Cream**

The sky darkened, changing from a joyful light blue to an unforgiving grey. Jaune stared at the heavens, witnessing the transition. His mind was torn.

 _I should probably go back before they send the police after me._

But did he want to go back? The answer to that was obvious. But still, he had to go back, didn't he? After all, Father would be furious if he left and never came back. He owed the man for keeping him alive after all he did.

With a sigh, Jaune pushed himself up, ignoring the unpleasant feeling of raindrops pelting him.

 _I shouldn't forget Crocea Mors._

The shimmering sword was slippery in his grasp, yet it felt like it had always belonged there. The shield too. They just felt... **right** in his hands. Too bad Father was just going to take them away again. He began his track back to Ansel with a heavy heart, passing the occasional normal bear looking at him curiously.

 _ **You'll never amount to anything.**_

Jaune stopped in his tracks. Where did that memory come from? He could see their home not too far away, cringing at the damaged front side. So that's where he escaped from. Couldn't the Geist just have opened the front door or something? Sighing, Jaune attempted to move forward, but his feet refused to move. He was shivering. Not from the cold. From something else.

 _ **You're a disgrace to the Arc name!**_

He clenched the hilt of the sword even harder, so much that he worried it might break.

 _ **A hero? Don't make me laugh. You're a monster! Be lucky that I won't kill you. Your mother and sisters wouldn't be happy about that, even though it would be a service to both them and the world.**_

 _No, I don't want to hear this anymore..._

 _ **You'll never be more than a monster.**_

Jaune stared at his smoking hand. He felt the Geist's influence, he felt it very clearly. Narrowing his eyes, Jaune freed his mind and cleared his emotions. He mustn't lose control.

Easier said than done.

 _ **You'll never be a hero, Jaune. You killed Zinnia.**_

"AAAAARGH!"  
The boy punched the wet ground, not caring if it hurt his fist. Not caring that the hand that hit it wasn't even his own anymore.

"Oh no, you don't," Jaune whispered to the smokey black arm. He needed to wait. He needed to be the one in control. Damn him if he ever let the Geist in control again!

Time passed with him crouching on the ground, waiting. His patience should've grown thin, but years in isolation did wonders.

"Yield, monster," Jaune whispered, fury still in his voice. But that would have been too easy, no?

 _A world where I'm the hero. Where everyone would praise and love me. A world where my father is locked away, where my sisters gather around me to apologize, admitting they were wrong about me._  
With a bitter smile on his face, Jaune imagined such a world. Oh yes, that world was going to happen so long as he worked for it. He was going to prove his father wrong. He was going to prove he was fit to be a hero, no matter what. A better hero than he ever was, than the Arcs ever were. Crocea Mors was meant for him. Why else would it feel so right to hold it?

Jaune knew something was off, but anything was better than returning to his prison.

The Grimm arm had already vanished. Satisfied, Jaune turned his back on his home.

"Farewell, Ansel. Farewell, Enciel," he spat, smiling grimly. "Don't expect me to repair the house."

The sirens far away only served to motivate him more.

* * *

 _I...didn't really think this through._

The trek through the forest was a long and hard one. There were no Grimm, but the sheer size of the woods made Jaune wish there were. Funny how boredom and exhaustion would turn out to become his nemeses, rather than a monster hellbent on pure destruction. Trees towered above him, undoubtedly thousands of years old, peering down as if judging him. Jaune felt a shiver run down his back.

 _Great, and now I'm getting sick. Wonderful._

Rubbing his hands together to keep himself somewhat warm, he continued the trip, ignoring his feet aching in pain. If he stopped to rest, the police would surely find him. There was no doubt they were already searching tirelessly for him. Which means that as soon as he reached the next city, he needed to get a disguise, fast. How, he had absolutely no idea.

The shattered moon shone bright, turned so that the broken side faced the front. Jaune had always been fascinated by the broken orb. He believed the moon had once been whole, destroyed by some unknown means. A meteorite perhaps? He'd probably never get the answer.

Several woodland creatures scurried around, squirrels trying to find their nest, insects crawling on the ground, a severed ha-

"AAAAAAH!" Jaune screamed and jumped back, unsheathing Crocea Mors. There was no doubt. A hand without a body was on the floor, still oozing crimson liquid.

 _It...it's fresh._

Jaune felt nauseous, but he held it in.

 _Quiet now. The murderer must be around still._

The only other possibility was that the owner of that hand was still around somewhere, terribly maimed. It had either been an accident, or they were still fighting their assailant. Listening closely, Jaune tried to detect any sounds of combat, any yells of pain or at least the scrunching of leaves. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Only silence. It felt wrong.

"My, what a sloppy mess."

A flamboyant voice made Jaune jump and turn around. Standing in front of him was a man with flaming orange hair, dressed in a white suit and a bowler hat. He was twirling his cane around.

"The first day out of the city and you've already been caught. Neo, what amateurish work!"

Sword still clutched tightly in his hand, Jaune watched a little girl with a unique look enter the scene. She was holding her parasol -her _bloody_ parasol- and smirked at him. She had strange pink and brown hair (oddly reminding Jaune of some dessert) and wore some very elegant clothes with a similar color palette as her hair.

"W-what do you want?" Jaune stammered, anxiety and dread rising.

 _Damnit, now's not the time to be socially awkward!_

"Just doing our job, kid," the man announced, louder than he really needed to. "The usual silencing of the deserter. And now it seems somebody added a new target on our list."  
He smirked as he wrote something down on an imaginary notepad.

"Silence the witness. Neo, if you'd please."

Jaune's eyes widened as the little girl -Neo, as the man called her- moved faster than his eye could see, and struck him on his back with her closed parasol. He cried out in pain as he fell, barely able to raise his shield before she struck him again.

"Nothing personal, kid," the man said casually, as if chatting idly while twirling his cane around. Jaune noticed a crosshair on its end. A gun? "But I don't like leaving loose ends."

Jaune was frustrated.

 _He's just watching while his daughter is beating the crap out of me!_

Though she was strong, no doubt, but they shouldn't underestimate him! He took down an Ursa no less than a few hours ago!

He grunted as his aura took another hit from Neo's weapon. She was fast...too fast. He couldn't even raise his shield in time to block any of her attacks. He could feel fatigue incoming, black spots teetering at the edge of his vision.

 _Is this it? My first victory only to be followed by my demise? This can't be the end, right?_

Jaune growled and swung Crocea Mors in the direction of the girl, but she just opened her parasol and deflected it with ease. His attack had been slow, had been sloppy.

"Trying to play hero, hm? Knight in shining armor style, blondie?" The man mocked, lighting a cigar. After puffing out some disease-inducing smoke, he chuckled. "Better snuff it out before it becomes too strong. Shattered dreams are no fun at all."

Jaune almost roared, albeit weakly. Being treated as a monster was one thing.

Being made fun of was another.

He ducked Neo's incoming attack and charged at the man, sword raised in hand, roaring almost madly. His mind was a blur, his thoughts foggy. All he wanted was for the pain to end. If he had to kill somebody for that to happen, so be it. This man was obviously a villain, so killing him would still be a heroic thing to do, right?

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."  
With a single sidestep, the man walked out of the way of Jaune's attack, causing him to stumble and fall flat on his face, Crocea Mors skidding away to who-knows-where.

"Urgh..." Jaune groaned, attempting to stand up, but a weight on his back held him down. A circular shape...the cane's end?

"Well, this has been quite entertaining to watch, but all fun must come to an end. You see, blondie, it was nice meeting you, but your heroics left quite the bad taste in my mouth."

Jaune turned his head, but it proved pointless as he could only see the bark of a tree.

And the lifeless body of a man on the ground further away.

"...did he do?" He mumbled, struggling to get words out.

"Oh please, talk louder," the flamboyant villain said, acting like a teacher. "I cannot answer questions I cannot hear."

"W-what did he do?" Jaune said, shivering. Whether it was because of the cold ground or the threat of death, he wasn't sure. Still, this despair was something else. It wasn't as pressing or as harsh as the one earlier that day when Saphron decided to leave his life forever. Instead, this despair felt...

 _It feels...nice?_

Jaune blinked at the strange realization. It felt welcome, almost pleasantly cold. The pit in his stomach would've disturbed a younger him, but it felt right there. Is this what masochism felt like?

"Oh, he wanted to escape the kingdom after stealing some very confidential documents," the villain said in a grandiose manner, apparently loving to hear himself talk. "Fake documents, some info on our group, you know the drill. I initially sent some of my men after him, but they proved...less efficient than I expected. Quite a waste of my money, if you ask me."

 _Yup, definitely loves to hear himself talk._

"Well, now that you know, tell the angels Roman Torchwick sends his greetings. They don't like me very much."

With those words, Torchwick pressed his cane further into Jaune's back, making him cry out in pain. This was it. This was his death. He could feel the despair, the hopelessness of the situation. He could see his life flash before his eyes. It wasn't so different from three years ago when he attempted to end his own life. He accepted it.

 _Well, hello death._

With that he braced himself, expecting the darkness.

It came, but not in the way he expected. Thinking back on it, he probably should have.

* * *

POV Change

Roman Torchwick was a very patient man. So patient even, that he didn't bat an eye when some wannabe hero showed up and decided to interfere. His patience, however, may run thin at times, especially when they interfere with his work too much, usually resulting in a migraine forming in his head. The only way to cure that is to snuff out the cause.

That was why Roman decided to pull the trigger. He wasn't a fan of killing needlessly, so he was glad to have a reason to kill that blonde kid that decided to show up. His movements were sluggish, so he wasn't trained, at least much. Had he been a greater threat, he would've extinguished this candlelight almost immediately. But since this kid was barely able to hold his sword properly, the master thief decided to toy with him instead.

 _He's just a kid. No threat. No threat at all._

"What the-?" He exclaimed after seeing the kid's arm basically **absorb** Melodic Cudgel. He tried to hold on, but his cane soon slipped from his grasp.

Black smoke filled the forest. Roman's eyes narrowed.

 _I don't like this one bit._

If he hated something, it was things not going according to plan. With a whistle, he called Neo to his side. She skipped to his side barely a second after, looking equally as confused as he.

"Attack if you can, shrimp. If he seems too much, run."

Neo looked at him indignantly, offended by her nickname and probably also feeling underestimated.

Normally Roman wouldn't have been worried, but something felt...wrong.

The face of the Geist holding him at gunpoint with Melodic Cudgel told him exactly what it was.

 _Traitor!_

Dodging the dust bullet with ease, Roman's eyes darted between the trees. The smoke had cleared, but the forest still remained barely visible in the dark of the night. He had always relied on his weapon to get him out of every situation. To have it used against him was...unforgivable.

"Neo!" He shouted. "Attack!"

Gritting his teeth, the criminal was forced to watch his best friend and partner-in-crime battle the Grimm. He vowed to himself that if she showed the slightest chance of getting hurt, he would drag her away immediately. There are things he couldn't afford to lose.

 _Still, a Geist disguised as a boy? That's not possible._

The creatures of Grimm are monsters that lack a soul, that lack passion. While he had been forced to use their assistance as mindless beasts in the past, he despised their lack of conviction. Killing without reason? That's just plain boring.

Neo dodged and deflected Melodic Cudgel's bullets with ease, but the crease on her forehead still showed her worry. She must be as confused as he. With a sigh, Roman lit another cigar. He really needed that.

Neo kept up with the Geist's blasts and struck back as lethally as she always did. The creature even tried to possess a nearby tree, but the midget's beloved parasol cut it off. Still, she should have defeated or even killed the thing by now, but whenever she landed an attack, something akin to aura glowed.

 _It can't be aura, so what is it?_

Something was wrong with that thing, and Roman intended to find out what. Which also meant asking somebody who probably knew more about Grimm than he.

He knew many things, but those things all related to **humans**. He never bothered to learn about Grimm, since those beasts were always so easily beaten by him or even one of his weaker goons. It was far too boring really. Maybe she'd have a better idea.

Stepping aside to avoid the Grimm crashing into him, Roman dialed the accursed number into his scroll, sighing.

 _This better be worth it._

After a few rings, she picked up.

"What is it, Roman?" Cinder Fall asked, her golden eyes on the scroll showing annoyance. Her usually sultry voice was tainted with displeasure. She wore her usual red dress with golden markings, making him wonder whether she even had any different pieces of clothing. "Have I not told you not to call me unless it's really, really important?"  
The thief rolled his eyes and smirked. "Why yes, dear Cindy, but this seems rather interesting. Unless you want to go back to your beauty sleep and miss the show?"

The fiery woman sighed, eyes narrowing at the use of her nickname. "Lay it on me. If it's another one of your pointless street fights, I'm melting your eyeballs."  
Roman just rolled his eyes. Her threats, gruesome as they were, rang empty within his ears. She needed him and she knew it.

 _I'm invaluable to their plans...whatever that is. But hey, as long as I profit, I'm not going to complain._

Twisting his scroll around just in time to capture Neo dealing another blow to the creature howling in pain, Roman showed Cinder the creature. It was on the defensive now, shooting on the ground to limit Neo's movements, something else that struck him as odd.

 _Is it actually sentient?_

Cinder followed the battle with apt interest, her earlier disdain gone. She narrowed her eyes, darting between the Geist and Neo, taking in as much as she could.

"Roman, where did that Grimm come from?" She asked, apparently having gained enough visual information to divert her attention.

"Some rookie kid tried to attack me after catching me red-handed here in the forest of Anslam," Roman explained casually. It wasn't that rare for him to be caught after all. Whether the witness left alive was another matter entirely.

"I was about to kill him and be done with it, but he transformed into...that."

Cinder's eyes widened, a movement the thief had never seen before.

 _That bad, huh?_  
"Roman, I need you to do something very important," she whispered, a grim frown on her face.

"Which would be?"  
"Capture it. Bring it to me. I need to talk to somebody."  
With that, she ended the call. Sighing, the ginger took another whiff from his cigar, blowing smoke into the wind.

 _Figures. She didn't even tell me where she is._

But if that's what she wanted, fine. She'd pay him. If not, he'd make her.

"Neo, don't kill it!" He shouted to his partner. The tri-colored gal gave him a confused look, but complied, no longer aiming her blade at vital spots -wherever those things are in the Geist's anatomy.

With that out of the way, Roman started the thinking part of his brain. How in the hell was he supposed to capture that Geist? Judging from Cinder's reaction, it wasn't an ordinary Grimm. Some kind of failed experiment, perhaps? Maybe even a successful one? He wouldn't put it past those snobbish higher-ups to try and create a hybrid of sorts to be their super soldier or something.

The only way he could even think of capturing it was transforming it back into that nosey kid.

 _The question is, of course, how?_

The answer to that showed itself to him a mere few minutes after. Stamina.

Which also didn't make any sense. He'd never seen a Grimm pant or rest before (Not like this one did either), so he was fairly certain that the beasts were restless. All they did was find a victim and hunt them before either of them got killed.

Despite the initial scare, Neo seemed to be doing quite well now. The Geist seemed to be getting slower and slower, the frequency of blasts from Melodic Cudgel getting lower and lower. Idly, Roman wondered what would've happened had it instead decided to possess his bowler hat. It would have been a hilarious sight for Neo, sure.

He would have made sure there was nothing left of that thing.

When the Geist's movements had the speed of a snail and his glowing eye flickered a weaker blue (Another strange part of that thing), Roman felt confident enough to step in and wrench Melodic Cudgel back to safety.

 _I hope it's not damaged._

The monster turned toward him, seemingly glaring at him despite having no real facial features sans his eye. Roman sighed and whacked the beast on its face as hard as he could. It went down immediately, falling face-first onto the floor.

Neo and Roman both watched attentively as the black smoke slowly, but surely crawled back into itself, exposing human flesh again. The bone plate, barely visible, moved south until it finally stopped above where the boy's heart would be, only a slight bulge being evidence of its existence. Soon, the kid was a kid again.

"Hooray," Roman cheered, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

He rolled his eyes and threw his cigarette at the kid, slightly burning into his shirt. That night's job was supposed to be easy and quick. Track down the deserter, dispose of him, and then return back to his base of operation in Vale. He had only taken Neo with him because she was bored and when she was bored, she wanted to play. He'd rather not lose any more men than he already did on a daily basis.

The problem was, he wasn't sure if he could have taken on the Geist after he stole Melodic Cudgel. Sure, he was a brawler at heart, his countless street fights during his younger ages proving that. But the Geist, even if it wasn't aura, had some sort of protection akin to it. There was a reason he never engaged huntsmen and huntresses without a proper plan.

 _I never pick fights I know I can lose._

Even so, he felt irritated. Very much so. In order to calm himself down, he decided to inspect his beloved cane, to make sure there were no lasting damages.

 _Hook?_

With a single button press, the handle flew out, attaching itself to the branch of a tree. Neo rolled her eyes and got it back. _Check._

 _Flexibility?_

Grabbing it on both ends, Roman bent the metal. After a few seconds, it reached its original shape. _Check._

The boy started to moan and tried to get up.

"Neo," was all Roman had to say before she went and knocked him out with her parasol again, nodding with great satisfaction when his aura broke.

 _Explosive dust bullet?_

With a well-targeted shot, Roman launched his attack on a tree, eradicating it almost immediately.

Neo stared.

"What? I needed to make su- oh don't give me that look, midget. It's past midnight and it wasn't even that loud!" _Anyways, check._

 _Normal bullet?_

With a smirk, Romain aimed his weapon at the kid. Melodic Cudgel whistled as it released the simplest of dust bullets at its disposal, traveling through the air like a firework rocket. A scream tore through the air.

 _Double check._


	4. Chapter 4

**Writer's block, sickness and school, oh my!  
Sorry about the huuuuge delay in this chapter, but life was getting kinda hard on me. This is also the reason that this chapter seems kinda dead to me, emotionless. Did I say that right? Probably not.**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Wrath of the Angel**

Roman's ears twitched slightly as he picked up a sound that seemed to gradually come closer. The forest had been blissfully quiet up to a moment ago.

"Neo, do you hear that?" He asked. She nodded and pointed in a seemingly random direction, eyes narrowed. The sound of footsteps were slow, but definitely coming closer. Roman's eyes narrowed, trying to find who was causing these noises, but the darkness didn't help at all.

"Oh. Fuck. Run," Roman drawled in his usual disinterest, trying his best not to let concern show.

As it turned out, the police were very much awake. After spotting the men dressed in black SWAT suits, the thief took off as fast as he could. He could deal with cops, even with a good amount of them, but a fully armored SWAT team? Without his men?

 _Oh, I'll have to pass, gentlemen._

Neo, running beside him, flailed her arms around, but the thief paid her no heed. He was not going to be captured, not this day!

He only stopped after Neo tugged at his sleeves, causing him to halt and pant, glaring at her as he did.

"What is it, shrimp?" He growled.

Neo pointed back to the cops.

"What about them? They're not following us, so-"

 _Oh. Son of a bitch._

They forgot the boy.

With another growl, Roman pulled Neo closer.

"Get him back."

The girl just scoffed and began sneaking behind trees and other plants to get closer. Roman followed suit, albeit slower, stealth not his best quality.

 _Dashing good looks, certainly. I just cannot be quiet._

Soon, Roman could hear the cops talking into their scrolls as he hid behind a nearby tree.

"The Arc boy has been found and secured. He appears to be sporting a gunshot wound on his right leg and several bruises. Still conscious, but obviously pained, so he won't be any trouble for a while. Calling for pickup."

Roman rolled his eyes. Could they even hear how they're speaking? Ridiculous.

Still, they were a threat. If it were anybody else, Roman would just admit defeat and go, but Cinder's instructions were clear.

 _Oh Cindy. What misfortune have you brought upon me now?_

He needed a plan. Engaging them was obviously out of the question, so their only chance to take the boy back was to follow where he would be imprisoned and then bust him out. This would certainly be something new for him. He could escape prison just fine, but getting someone out? The only person he'd do that for was Neo, and she had never been caught. Ever.

 _She does like to rub that into my face, little brat she is._

Minutes ticked by, with a few excitements in between in the form of holding Neo back from charging at the cops like a madwoman. Eventually, the black van pulled up, also sufficiently armored. A man stepped out, sporting bright yellow hair. A relative, possibly?

"Throw him in," he barked. Roman almost flinched.

 _What the hell? I've met many people like him before._

Three simple words, spoken with such malice and hatred. For some reason, it deeply unsettled the gentleman thief. Eyes narrowed, he looked the tall and well-built man up and down. Blue, icy eyes stared down at the broken figure of the boy Roman had wounded, lips twisted into an almost pained sneer.

"Why, hello there, son," he whispered, barely loud enough for Roman's trained ears to hear. The tone alone was enough to make ugly feelings run through the thief.

Roman Torchwick could tolerate much. He could murder, he could steal, he could do everything criminal imaginable (and not so quite imaginable), but there were things that didn't sit well with him, even if he had no idea why.

Oh wait, he knew. That huntsman was the arrogant type. The type he despised the most. They were always the most satisfying to take down if he were to be given an advantage, but their gloating.

 _Oh Gods, their gloating._

Here though, Roman had no advantage. If the attire of the man, white armor bearing the same crest as the kid's shield, was anything to go by, plus the addition of determined, dead eyes, this was an experienced and dangerous huntsman. Roman didn't engage in fights against that sort unless he really needed to.

 _Well, this seems like the situation to warrant the "need" label._

The boy didn't do anything but groan. The man shook his head. "Pathetic. Simply pathetic." Without a warning, he stepped on the kid's hand, laughing a little as he hissed and screamed. He began to kick the kid without warning several times, bruising him even further.

"Boys, throw him in already. Have I not made myself clear?"

The cops, obviously intimidated judging by their not so subtle shivering, suddenly snapped up and carried the wounded kid into the van, the man following suit, but not before grabbing the discarded weapons the kid wielded from the forest floor. This was his chance!

"Neo," Roman whispered. The girl didn't even need to hear any further instructions.

Roman waited for the motor to start up and used that specific noise to climb onto the back of the van. Neo had no problem with that, little show off she is. Roman grumbled as he needed a hand.

"What...was that?" Somebody inside asked. Roman shot Neo a look, who just grinned and threw a live squirrel to the front of the car.

"Just a squirrel. It is a forest after all."

Roman shook his head.

 _Crazy girl._

When the car began driving, the thief glared at the cartop below him.

"What about your family, sir, should I contact them?" Somebody from inside asked.

"There...won't be any need," the huntsman's gruff voice rang out. Roman rolled his eyes at the tone.

 _I will not fail._

* * *

POV Change

Pain. Nothing but pain. He was close to passing out, but he knew what would happen if he did and damn him if he'd let that happen again. He let it happen before, but that was an accident. He thought he'd die. In a strange and twisted way, the Grimm saved his life.

Jaune didn't dare to even groan, fearing the wrath of his father. To literally kick him while he's down...

 _Why?_

He'd asked himself that question every day of his life. Jaune knew he harbored a monster, but to go that far? He felt tears brimming at the edge of his eyes. Did he know...?

The van halted abruptly. Blurry eyes attempted to peer outside from where he was lying, but he could barely make out a shape, let alone a location.

"Out."

Heavy, gloved hands grabbed Jaune by the shoulder and basically hurled him outside into the mud. He tried to stand up, but was quickly pinned down by a gun.

 _Twice in one day. What are the odds?_

"Make any funny moves, Grimm, and we'll shoot."

Jaune tried to glare, but once again, he could only see the bottom of buildings. They were far away from the forest he had been in, so no more trees filled his sight, which he was glad for. Instead, most of his vision was filled with small houses and some closed storefronts.

 _Ansel._

"Keep an eye on him, we don't know when he'll go berserk and wreck this place again."

The police officers weren't exactly gentle in their handling of him as they pulled him to his feet. He might not be a parcel labeled "fragile", but he also wasn't exactly in the best state concerning his body. Bruises, cuts, and oh! A gunshot wound from some criminal who decided to have fun with him instead of killing him outright. Still, they managed to overpower the Grimm. Somehow.

Jaune hoped he'd never see them again. That wound already made it hard to stand and would almost definitely scar, making it impossible to forget.

"Don't...you think you're too rough to him?" A timid voice asked. A seemingly young policeman peered down at him.

"You don't know the half of it, kid. Scram."

With a pitying look in his eyes that Jaune despised, the youth retreated back into the Ansel Police Department. Jaune had only been here once in his life, for the department to figure out what to do with him. It was his mother that came up with the idea of permanent house arrest. At least it was better than Father's idea...

This place held no good memories for him. And now they were probably gonna imprison him for life again, this time in actual jail. Jaune knew he should feel misery, but all he could feel was disappointment. Freedom was so close, but now it was going to be forever out of reach. Prisons had guards all over the place. This time, the Geist won't bail him out, not that he really wanted the thing to ever do that in the first place.

A flash of annoyance shot through him. Why was life so unfair? In a different life, had the Grimm never even touched him, he would have surely become a hero, a legend! But now he was never going to be able to know. Ever. He sighed heavily, earning himself a knock on the head in the process.

"Quiet, Grimm."

Jaune eyes watered slightly from the pain and he looked to the ground, trying not to let it show. What were they doing anyway, just standing outside staring at a building? Did they have doubts?

 _Nah. No way._

It was foolish to even hope that at this point. Still, his mind wandered to what was going to happen to him inside. Locked up and left to starve? No, he was sure the people in charge wouldn't let that happen, right? He still had his rights, right?

 _The creatures of Grimm don't have rights._

Jaune squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think of anything. It was better than thinking of something horrible, at least.

"Take him inside."

Three words. Those three words were harmless when alone, and could be harmless when they were together. To Jaune however, they weren't. A shiver ran down his back and his wounds began to ache. They hadn't forgotten the abuse. Not yet, maybe not ever.

Jaune's father looked him straight in the eye. Maybe it was foolish to do so, but he desperately tried to find any hint of warmth or sympathy within those blue, icy orbs. Anything that would give him a semblance of comfort. Anything!

 _There was nothing._

Nothing but an iceberg of frozen hatred lurked in the irises of Enciel Arc. Funny how many people used to call him Angel back in the day, as his mother once told him in his younger days, more innocent days.

He was doomed. There were no ifs or buts about it. Jaune knew his father. Imprisonment had failed, so he wasn't going to do the same mistake again. This was it. He didn't know what was going to happen to him, but it was definitely going to be worse than being stuck inside an uncomfortable cell with a bed and a toilet and a piece of bread and water a day, if that was even possible.

Handcuffs were placed around his hands after they were forcibly put behind his back without care. Jaune groaned, but tried to keep it down. He wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of pain, not in his...final moments?

 _Dear Gods, I hope this isn't the case._

Trying to distract himself, Jaune wondered why they didn't cuff him in the first place. Was it...fear? No, that couldn't be. Was it...

 _They wanted a reason to put me down._

Jaune sighed. He couldn't trust anyone, could he?

He was almost dragged into the building, his father taking the lead. Jaune's eyes snapped to his hip, where Crocea Mors was attached. Once a sign of hope, all it did now was fill him with even more despair and remorse.

Had he not tried to interfere with the criminals, he probably would've been over the mountains by now. Instead, he was being dragged into the unknown. God, he hoped it wasn't an execution or torture room he was being led to.

 _At this point I wouldn't even put it past them._

People working the nightshift stared at him as he squirmed. He tried to signal "help" with his eyes, but nobody interfered. Everybody, the secretary, officers, even the janitor mopping the floor. They all had a grim expression on their faces.

 _Haha, very funny, Jaune. Hilarious._

Eyes stared him down as he was led even further into the station. Jaune's eyes darted around, trying to find any chance of escape, but all he could see were posters of criminals, pictures of fallen officers, and random paperwork on the office desks. Nothing but windows could help him, but he wouldn't be surprised if those were proofed, to keep dangerous people, people like **him** , from escaping.

Eventually, the walk of dread came to an end as they entered a room. Jaune had only seen such a room in the criminal shows he secretly watched as a kid. It was a grey room decorated with nothing, holding only a single table and two chairs. A glass pane separated this room and the observation room. Jaune couldn't see through that piece of glass, so it was probably only see-through on one side.

"Urgh!" He exclaimed after being unceremoniously thrown onto the floor. The door shut behind him, leaving him alone in the room.

Or so he thought.

"Glad we're finally getting some quality time alone. We haven't seen each other in so long, after all. Don't you agree...son?"

Jaune felt a frozen shiver run across his back once again.

 _No no no no no no no no no no no!_

Deciding to remain quiet, Jaune stared to the floor, unmoving as if that would help him any. As it turned out, it had the opposite effect.

"ANSWER ME!"

A kick to the groin launched Jaune into the wall. All air escaped his lungs as he gasped. For a second he thought he was going to die of lack of oxygen. The second after, he fell to his knees, painfully. He coughed with choking sounds, trying to refill his lungs.

 _Argh...dammit..._

"Well? Answer me."

Jaune began to shiver and hated himself for it. Damnit, he wasn't supposed to feel fear! If anything, it would probably just make it worse for him. He should probably say something, anything!

 _I can't..._

"Silent as ever, huh?"

From the footsteps, Jaune could hear his father pacing, his boots making a heavy stomping sound as they probably dirtied the floor with the mud from outside.

 _Where the hell is the police?_

Jaune tried to see anything through the glass, but there was nothing, only the reflection of his father.

Staring right at him.

Jaune flinched and looked down again. Or rather, tried to.

"Look me in the eye, dammit!" Father yelled as he lifted Jaune off the ground with ease. His legs dangled uselessly below him as they tried to find solid ground.

Piercing blue eyes stared into softer ones.

"Tell me, do you enjoy tormenting me?"

Jaune's eyes widened as he shook his head vehemently. Tormenting **him**? What was he even ta-

"ANSWER ME!"

"N-no..." Jaune managed to choke out, voice as dry as a desert.

"Liar."

With that, he was thrown against the table, knocking it off its feet. Jaune felt pain explode across his back.

 _Damn...useless...aura..._

Oh, right, his aura was completely depleted from that fight against Torch-whatshisface earlier that night. Speaking of which...

Jaune stared at his leg still leaking blood. It was a surprise he completely forgot about it, but he passed it away as stress. He was no doctor, so who knew what was the cause, really. Anyways, it really couldn't get worse now, could it?

A flash of light glared Jaune in his eyes. He shielded them instinctively.

 _Wait, the only source of light is a single lightbulb above, so what-_

Crocea Mors' edge was pointed directly at his throat, the shining blade reflecting the light straight into his eyes. Jaune stopped every movement in his body as he stared at the blade he had once admired. The one he wished he could have wielded in his life. The sword that he would have carried into battle, roaring with valor as his partners charged alongside him.

This was the sword that would end him, wasn't it?

"You're a failure. My own personal failure," Father whispered, voice heavy. "You've brought me nothing but sorrow and the destruction of everything I held dear. You're a monster, not my son."

Jaune knew that. He knew all of that, yet the words stung him as if a thousand rapier wasps decided to target him with their stingers. He could even swear this hurt more than what Crocea Mors would bring upon him.

Jaune Arc was no more, right? This was the day Jaune Arc would die, right? By the hand of his own father, right? Father? Why would a father do this? Maybe he just wasn't his father, right? A father wouldn't do this, right?

Jaune's wild thoughts began to give him a migraine.

"T-the police," he managed to choke out, but Enciel just laughed.

"They? They're not even here. They allowed me free reign over your fate so long as I report it as an 'incident'. You see, as it turned out, the Grimm residing within you decided to go berserk. It was merely self-defense, nothing more."

Jaune couldn't believe his ears. Were the police really that corrupt? No, he was bluffing. Just lying. Nothing else.

Eyes darting around, Jaune tried once more to find an escape, even though there were no windows leading to outside. Still, he couldn't just give up, could he? He needed to stall.

"What about Rouge? Saphron? Vert? Zin-"

Jaune's eyes widened.

 _Oh no._

He messed up. He messed up horribly. Enciel had gone deathly silent, face frozen in disbelief. The seconds ticked by as they remained unmoving. Silence reigned in the room.

"You..." Enciel began to whisper. His voice held no emotion whatsoever, making it even more terrifying. Jaune held his breath, as if that helped any.

Well, I just sealed my fate, didn't I?

Jaune could almost laugh if that wouldn't earn him an even more painful death. How much more foolish could he be at this point? It must be the pain catching up to him. It was almost laughable. The despair, the anger, the hatred radiating off of Enciel...he could almost taste it. That's how bad it was.

 _Now would be a good time for my aura to return._

What was the rate of aura recovery anyway? Because it must have been quite a bit already, right? Then again, Jaune lost all track of time ever since he engaged that criminal. Because the next thing that's gonna happen will hurt without it.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Roaring like a lion, Enciel began to swing Crocea Mors in a wide arc, determined to chop off Jaune's head.

 _This is it. This is the end._

The wall blew open with a huge explosion.

* * *

POV Change

Roman had heard enough.

It took Neo quite a bit of time to assemble enough explosive dust to blast open the side of the Police Department, giving the master thief enough time to listen to the conversation. No matter what the police may say, their walls weren't exactly soundproof. He had urged Neo to hurry up after the conversation he heard become a tad too agitated for his taste.

He didn't do it for the sake of the boy. He just knew Cinder would be pissed if the kid were to die, likely taking the Grimm down with him. While himself had not been the target of Cinder's flames yet, he had seent he scars on those that defied her. You'd have to be a masochist to enjoy that. Worse than one even.

Roman knew he was going to face a huntsman, but he took precautions. He smirked.

 _My mission is not to defeat him, after all._

* * *

POV Change

Jaune coughed as the dust began to clear. His throat had been turned into a Vacuo desert as soon as the explosion ravaged the wall. He looked around, noticing Crocea Mors lying quite a reach away from him.

 _Saved. What are the odds?_

Enciel was groaning on the floor, but he soon got up and grabbed the blade, staring at the gigantic hole now in the wall.

"My, did we interrupt something?" A flamboyant voice began to say, humor dripping. Jaune could almost groan.

 _Guess who's back. Just my luck._

The criminal he had faced earlier entered the building as the alarms began to blare. He seemed to look around in a bored manner, observing the rooms non-existent decorations.

"Who are you?" Enciel spoke, gripping the blade tight. The man began to bow. "Roman Torchwick, resident gentleman thief of Vale. It is an honor to meet you...whoever you are."

Enciel's eyes narrowed from what Jaune could see.

"This is not the time for jokes, criminal. Are you honestly daft enough to rob a police department?"

"I wouldn't exactly call myself daft. I'm just here to recover an order."

Torchwick's eyes met Jaune's. The boy flinched.

 _Great, he's here for me. Is there anybody who doesn't want to kidnap or murder me?!_

"No. You will not have him," Enciel spoke in an absolutely serious manner, emotionless.

"Yes, I think I will," Torchwick whispered back, a smirk gracing his lips.

Jaune almost yelled, but couldn't as a cloth began to cover his mouth. His eyes darted around to see the little girl winking at him as she slowly dragged him outside. Maybe she thought she could sneak past Enciel, but she thought wrong.

"You're not going anywhere!" The huntsman roared and dashed forward, but Torchwick simply stepped into his way, blocking him off. The girl sped up and soon enough they were outside.

"Good job, Neo."

Jaune's eyes widened when he saw Roman Torchwick standing outside in the city, an airship behind him. The girl led him into it.

 _Wait, I'm being kidnapped!_

Jaune tried to run off, but a cane pointing directly at him made him reconsider.

"Don't even think about it, boy."

As the airship closed its doors, Jaune could see Enciel striking down the Torchwick below, shattering him to pieces of glass.

The roar the former Angel let out could be heard far into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Why won't you tell me, won't you tell me the truth of what you see? Of what exists in me? A monster or a dream?**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

 ** _Dream Sequence (?)_**

 ** _E_ dit: Anyways, I'll be taking a break for a week.**

* * *

 **Gift of Chance**

As the village shrunk to little more than a speck far away, several emotions began to conflict within Jaune's mind. Fear and anxiety began to rage. An odd feeling of relief mixed within the chaos showed itself, sprinkled with guilt. He was free. He was free from the grasp of his father, of Enciel. And yet he couldn't help but feel like this was the wrong choice. Maybe he should have stayed put. Maybe they were right, maybe he was truly dangerous and that's why they locked him up. What if he hurt somebody, killed again? It only happened once, but what if it happened again? What was going to happen now? Maybe he wasn't free after all. Why did he get abducted? Were they going to experiment on him? Nausea reared its ugly head.

So much chaos in one mind. It took Jaune the most of his willpower not to throw up inside the bullhead. He doubted Torchwick would very much appreciate that. That man already shot him once, he definitely wouldn't have any qualms about doing it again.

Speaking of the criminal...

"Cindy sent you, didn't she? Ah, I knew I could always rely on her!"

He was speaking with whoever was piloting the ship, somebody with a voice so rough it sounded like he ate sandpaper on a regular basis. Who apparently would die if he didn't curse every sentence.  
"Yeah, boss. She fucking decided to wrench me out of me beauty sleep before it even had the chance to do its effect."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. He couldn't see the man, but he could already imagine what he looked like. Dirty clothes, tattered and full of cuts and rips. Maybe even shirtless. Almost definitely bald and covered with tattoos.

He was so immersed in his imagination that he almost didn't notice ice-cream girl hovering right in front of his face.

 _Too close._

"Wah!" He yelled, scurrying a few steps backwards before landing right on his butt. The girl found it so funny that she began to laugh and wheeze silently. Jaune glared at her in annoyance.

Maybe it was his aura slowly recovering itself, but he felt something strange within him stir. He never had his aura break, so that could be it. At least that's what he hoped it was. Raging in the bullhead as Geist would definitely get him killed, no questions asked. Unless they wanted him alive?  
He couldn't even ponder the question in his head when Torchwick returned, holding out a hand as if expecting something. Jaune highly doubted it was a handshake that he wanted. But since he had absolutely no idea what the criminal wanted, he decided to remain silent instead.

"Well?"  
Jaune still decided to remain silent. He had heard his mother talk to his sisters about what to do when abducted. Remain silent throughout, then when the criminal got annoyed, attack him unexpectedly. Rip, claw his eyes out, bite him. Even back then he doubted that method. What if the assailant had a weapon, as most do? None of them had aura the last time he saw them, except Vert.

A sting of guilt flashed through Jaune's heart when he remembered the now lone twin, followed by an extremely ugly feeling of jealousy he had tried to bury so long ago. She was the one doted on by Enciel, the one he supported in her pursuit to become a huntress.

"Kid, this would be very much easier if you didn't resist," Torchwick said, rolling his eyes. "Now give me your scroll. Those things can be tracked down quite easily."  
Jaune probably would have been worried had it not been for the fact that he didn't have a scroll at the moment, nor did he ever possess one. He shook his head no.  
Torchwick took it the wrong way.

"You're a stubborn one," the criminal sighed in an exaggerated fashion and motioned something with his hand. Ice cream girl nodded with a coy smile and dashed right to in front of Jaune again.

"Uh, hi?" Jaune said. "What are youaaaaaa-"

Poking and prodding every part of his clothing in the pursuit of his nonexistent scroll, the girl left no part of his body out. Nothing was ignored.

 _Doesn't she have any shame?!_

After an entire minute that felt more like an hour to Jaune, the girl shook her head at Torchwick, shrugging. She stuck her tongue out when Jaune glared at her, red in the face.

"Hm. Have you lost it, kid?" Torchwick asked before laughing. "Well, you certainly chose a great time to do that. There's no escaping us now!"

Jaune had no doubt of that in his mind anyway. He was so far away from Ansel that he had no clue what he would've done anyways, were he to escape the airship. With a sigh, he turned away to look out of the window again, nausea churning in his stomach again. As soon as he started gagging, Torchwick, who was about to walk off, sighed.

"Please. Do not sully my ship with your dinner. It takes ages to clean off."

Jaune sat down, trying to freeze the thoughts in his head and slowing his rapidly pulsating heart. He needed to calm down. He needed to stop those resurfacing emotions or else...

A cane was pointed at him, crosshair activated. Torchwick glared down at him, eyes located on Jaune's hand. His eyes were narrowed. Jaune began to feel a cold shiver run down his spine as he followed the criminal's gaze.

It was subtle, but definitely there. The black smoke was beginning to gently embrace his hand again, coating it with its darkness. A finger had already turned completely black, while the others remained mostly intact. Even so, when he tried to move his hand, it remained in a clawed position. It was almost as if that hand didn't belong to him anymore.

Fear began to race in Jaune's mind, even more pronounced than before. If he let the Geist take control, there would be no doubt that Torchwick would kill him. Jaune wouldn't even put it against him. Criminal or not, there was a need for survival even for the wickest of people. It, however, didn't mean that he was going to sympathize with villainous scum.

"Make it go away," Torchwick ordered slowly, caution evident in his voice. The cocky voice was gone, now replaced with something less prideful. Jaune's breath began to quicken. Why was it so hard now? He could control the Geist no problem that exact morning when it decided to slowly show itself. So why now? What was the reason for its newfound power and...confidence?  
In the midst of all the fear and confusion raging withing Jaune, a strange feeling let itself known. It felt...more positive than the rest and therefore stood out. It felt as if Jaune could do anything. It felt as if he was all-powerful. It felt like he could take on the world.

 _It feels wrong._

Jaune began to stand up, but halted slightly when Torchwick barked at him to stop moving. The hand was twitching now, almost madly. It looked like it was laughing, cackling even. He definitely couldn't control it much longer.

"How long till we arrive, Blanc?" Torchwick shouted at his pilot.

"A few minutes, boss! We're really fucking close! But shit, what's happening back there?"

Torchwick didn't tell him. Jaune jumped when a few warning shots were launched right in front of him. In the midst of all this, the girl was just observing the situation a little away, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

 _Isn't she afraid?_  
Jaune didn't know what transpired in the forest, but surely she must have witnessed the destructive capacity of the Geist as well, right? Unless she ran away, but for whatever reason, he doubted that. She seemed to stick to Torchwick's side no matter what.

The Geist had taken control of his entire arm now. Jaune barely had the power to stand up anymore. Gasping heavily, he stared Torchwick right in his eyes. There was fear in his green orbs, just like with Zinnia.

 _She just wanted to help me accomplish my dream of becoming a huntsman. She was the only one that wasn't afraid of me. She was the one I could rely on. And how did I repay her? With the cold embrace of death._

The thought sent stabs upon stabs of knives through Jaune's gut. It was progressively getting worse as his consciousness began to slip from his grasp. Dark spots teetered at the edge of his vision. Everything became blurry. He tried to hold on as much as he could, but he eventually fell to the darkness.

* * *

 _ **Nothingness.**_

 _Where...am I?_  
 _ **There was nothing. Nothing but an endless void of darkness stretching to what seemed like miles away. Jaune tried to run, but he wasn't making any progress whatsoever. He wanted to escape. But he couldn't.**_

 _ **"You're a disgrace!"**_

 _ **Voices began to yell in the darkness. Jaune looked around, his head hurting. There was nobody.**_  
 _ **"You don't deserve to be our son. You're a disgrace of an Arc!"**_  
 _ **Jaune sank to his knees, the unmistakable voice of Enciel ringing in his ears. He couldn't remember those words, but they still felt very real. Maybe he just blocked them from his mind, trying to forget. But if you try to ban something, it always comes back stronger.**_

 _ **"Never, ever come back. You killed Zinnia, my baby girl."**_  
 _ **Jaune's eyes began to water as he stood up, desperately searching for the voice of his mother. She was the kinder one. She was the one who wouldn't hurt him, right?**_

 _ **"I hate you, Jaune."**_

 _ **Those words pierced straight through his heart.**_

 _ **Voices began to overlap. Saphron, Zinnia, Vert, Bleu, Indigo, Violet.**_

 _ **Rouge.**_

 _ **"You're a monster. You're dangerous. We despise you."**_

 _ **The voices began to pile up on him. He didn't want to hear any of that anymore. Pain, physical and mental, began to overwhelm him. He wasn't a monster, was he? He wasn't. They were wrong.**_

 _I'm...I'm not a monster..._

 _ **With tears in his eyes, Jaune fought his way through the darkness, determined to find an escape from all the voices hungering for his despair. Was there even a way out?**_  
 _I...I won't give up!_

 _ **With each step, his strength got sapped, but he carried on. He felt weak, but he carried on. Nobody was going to stop him, least of all them.**_

 _ **"You're a failure of a brother, Jaune."**_

 _ **Jaune glared at the shimmering shadow of Saphron standing in front of him. Her golden hair was dulled by the dark, losing what glow they once had. Her blue eyes stared at him with absolute disdain.**_

 _ **"I never loved you."**_

 _ **Jaune pushed through her, ignoring the pain in his heart. Nothing will stop him, absolutely nothing.**_

 _I'm going to become a hero, no matter what. Even if it means abandoning my past._

 _ **Fire began to spread through his heart, newfound determination strengthening him. He wasn't going to be stopped. Not by them, not by anyone. If they wanted to take his name away, so be it.**_

 _ **He was going to become a hero, no matter what.**_

* * *

The first thing that met Jaune's eyes was darkness. He was about to freak out until he noticed this darkness wasn't as misty as the one he was in previously. Instead, the darkness was just that. An absence of light. He was in a dark room. The floor underneath him was cold. Metal? Where the hell was he?

"Hello?" He called out, flinching when he heard his voice get reflected back several times in a distorting chorus of sounds.

"Quiet down, quiet down, Grimm boy. I see Sleeping Beauty is awake!"

The ever cocky voice of Torchwick did little to ease his worries. Eyes darting around in the black, Jaune tried to stand up. Big mistake.

"YAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Bolts of pain ran through his entire body as electrical currents shot through him, weak enough as not to damage anything permanently, but strong enough to inflict pain. Bad, bad pain.

 _Death by electricity. Never thought that would be it._

"Now, now, kid. Don't act up and you'll get out of here in no time."  
Torchwick clapped his hands, switching the lights on.

Hissing at the sudden light, Jaune's blurry and teary eyes slowly began to recover.

 _What's up with all the pain targeted at me?!_

He was in a cage barely half his size. That was the first thought that ran across his mind. It wasn't the gigantic warehouse he was in, nor the huge crates of dust just lying around as Torchwick poured some crystals into one of them. No, his first thought was of him in a cage. He was a prisoner again. He didn't want to be a prisoner again.

"Get me out of here!" Jaune snarled, recoiling at his own unusually aggressive tone.

 _I must be really, really exhausted._

"Now, now. As I said, behave and you'll be out of there in no time! We just need to wait for a certain someone."  
Checking his watch, Torchwick began to whistle a tune. Jaune had no idea what to make of that. Almost growling, he tried to touch the bars of his cage with a single finger.

"AAAARGH!"

"Oh, kid, give it up. You're not getting out of here that easy," Torchwick mocked as he walked towards Jaune, a spring in his steps. His cane made clanking noises as it stomped on the floor.

"You've given me quite some trouble. I expect you to be worth it, or else-"

"Or else what, Roman?" A woman said from somewhere. Jaune's eyes moved towards the entrance of the warehouse where a raven-haired woman had just entered, an amused smile on her lips. Torchwick sighed.

"Or else nothing, yada yada yada. You can't expect me to be nice to all our prisoners, Cinder. That wouldn't be any fun at all!"

The woman wore a red dress with golden accents. Her eyes were golden as well, radiating a sort of commanding power. Even her shoes made clinking glass noises every step. She walked with an air of absolute power and confidence.

"I believe the poor boy has endured enough," the woman, Cinder, said as she looked at Jaune with an expression of faux pity.

"Get me out of here," Jaune demanded again, glaring at her. Cinder just stared at him with a mischievous smile and stepped aside.

 _What. Is. That._

Like a jellyfish taken straight from the depths of hell, a creature of Grimm floated in front of Jaune. Its head was glowing in an ominous yellow with bone-like spikes sticking out of its bottom side. Its slimy looking tendrils drifted through the air as if flowing underwater. Jaune realized his mouth was open and shut it immediately.  
It opened again when that Grimm began to speak.

"Cinder. Why are you keeping our dear guest locked up? Free him."  
The voice was female, but sounded as if it was underwater, yet still clear and easy to understand.

"Are you sure you should do that, Cindy? I've got a lot of important stuff here that would be of more use to me intact," Torchwick drawled. Yet, a crease of concern formed on his forehead.

"It was a lot of trouble getting that cage in here in the first place. Those Grimm poaching cages don't come cheap."

 _They have Grimm poachers?!_

Cinder sighed and unlocked the cage, ignoring Torchwick's protest. Grating his teeth, the criminal walked away. Before he left, Jaune could see him complaining about women to the ice-cream girl who seemed to take it humorously.

"Tell me your name, child. How come you were born both man and Grimm?" The strange Grimm continued to speak. Jaune didn't know if he should be freaked out by it.  
"Why do you want to know?" He asked cautiously, not able to take his eyes off of it. His heart hurt a little. Should he be worried about that?

"I am curious. I have never seen such a strange creature such as yourself before. From what dear Cinder and her liege have told me, you are able to shift between those two forms. Am I correct?"

 _Cinder's liege?_

The woman's or Grimm's voice both worried and calmed him. The latter only served to worry him further. He had no explanation as to why he felt so at home with a voice alone. Maybe he was supposed to remain silent, but he couldn't.

"I... don't know how it happened. Nobody wanted to tell me. They all just treated me like a monster. I've been living with hatred and neglect for years. The past few years I've even been imprisoned in my own ho-"

Jaune didn't even get to finish his sentence when the Grimm's tendrils began to flail around wildly. He staggered back a few steps, careful to avoid the appendages while breathing heavily.

 _What the hell is going on?_

"Imprisoned, you say?"  
The Grimm began floating towards Jaune once more. He felt like he should have run away, but he couldn't move at all. Not out of fear, no. It was strange once more. He just felt like he didn't **need** to move. As if nothing was going to happen with him.

"Humans can truly be despicable. You have endured much, child. Too much for one your age. One thing you must know, however. You are most certainly not a monster."

It was as if a small amount of weight was lifted from Jaune's shoulders. His sorrows, his self-hatred, parts of it just evaporated into nothingness.  
That relief soon turned into shocked surprise when the semi-transparent head of the Grimm began to blur. Yellow made way for white and black, as well as red. Soon enough, a face was visible. A face that couldn't belong to a human.

"You are as little a monster as I am," the Grimm-woman spoke, her white face smiling softly. Her red eyes, likely menacing for others, were soft. Jaune, while still not managing to shrug off his utter shock, found no disgust in her features. Not in the obsidian black veins that adorned her face, nor in the abyssal black of her eyes.

"I am Salem. I must admit, you are the first one not to react to me with an expression of utter fear," she chuckled. "Surprise was to be expected, however. I do not fault you for that."  
Jaune had no idea what to say to the strange Grimm woman. He felt like other people would have been repulsed by her, but nothing felt out of place.

"Tell me your name, child."  
"Jaune. Jaune A-," Jaune began to say, but faltered. He wasn't really an Arc anymore, was he? They disowned him, didn't they?  
"Jaune, I believe you are in need of a new name, no? Tell me, how do you feel about your...family?" Salem whispered softly, disgust spreading across her features as she uttered the last word.

"I feel like saying farewell forever," Jaune answered truthfully. He didn't resent them, not even Enciel. In a way, he knew where he was coming from, but that still wouldn't help his sorrow. "I want to say goodbye."

"I see. Tell me now, Jaune. What is it that you seek? Power? Perhaps...freedom?" Salem asked again, leaning closer into whatever that Grimm was. Jaune gulped. There was one thing he really wanted. One thing he wished for above everything else. But with everything he had been through, did he really deserve it?  
 _Yes, I do. I do deserve it. Don't let anybody else say otherwise._

Breathing in slowly, he opened his mouth, following the voice in his head.

"I want to be a hero."

No response came. Silence reigned. Cinder looked confused while Salem's face remained a blank slate. Then, finally, a soft smile emerged from her again.

"I see."  
With that, the Grimm floated towards Cinder instead who had utter fear written on her face. Their conversation was quiet, so quiet that Jaune couldn't hear a thing. He looked around, unsure if he was allowed to walk freely.

 _So...what am I supposed to do now?_  
After what seemed like an eternity, which was actually just a few minutes, Cinder called for Torchwick as the Grimm floated away. Jaune bit his lip.

 _Should I be worried?_

He was so caught up in his worries that he didn't notice Torchwick walking up to him and striking him down with the blunt edge of his cane.

"OW! What the hell?!" Jaune exclaimed, rubbing his head where it hurt. "What did you do that for?!"

Torchwick just flashed his signature smirk.

"I'm usually above this, so take this as a kind and generous gift. You need some training before you can enter the Huntsman Academy of Beacon, Jaune **Cyclamen**."


	6. Chapter 6

**First of all, I am so so sorry for the lack of updates in the past few weeks! I just suddenly lost all my will to write and when I tried to, all I could write were a few words before I lost myself again. This chapter was unnecessarily hard to write, but I finally managed to pull through! I dearly hope that such an episode won't happen again. I've decided to publish this today instead of Friday so that I'll have a little more time to work on next week's chapter, which should come out on Friday as usual provided my muse won't yeet herself away again. In any case, thanks for your continued support! :D**

 **(For some reason the chapter that was the hardest to write is now the longest. Huh, figures.)**

"Speech"  
 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Encounter of the Flower**

Jaune was panting. He was covered head to toe in bruises despite his valiant efforts to avoid each and every one of them. Every movement made parts of his body ache. But he knew that if he gave up now, he'd have absolutely no chance of reaching his goal.

 _Bear the pain and try again._

"You sure you wanna have a go again?" His silver-haired opponent mocked, taunting Jaune with his absolutely untouched skin. A quick glance at his new scroll showed Jaune his aura was still very well in the yellow. He wasn't down for the count just yet.

"Huuuuuahh!" He roared, fist outstretched. Mercury dodged with ease and delivered another blow with his kick, launching the teen backward into a crate of dust, right into the middle of the Schnee crest like a dart. Ignoring Torchwick's yell of indignation at having his precious crates damaged, Jaune tried again.

 _I need to win this, at least once._

There were only two months until his entrance to Beacon. His faked transcripts have already been sent to the headmaster, so he had to prove he was as good as his papers stated. If he was too weak, he'll get expelled without a trace of a doubt.

Jaune watched Mercury's movements. While his stance earlier was cautious, he was now free of worry, now more relaxed and arrogant. This was it. This was exactly the opening he needed.

 _Come on, Jaune. Don't screw this up. You've studied, haven't you?_

Truth to be told, the only fighting he had tried to study were the ones he had seen in spars. He wasn't allowed to go out due to him possibly getting spotted, so trying to copy some of his sparring partners' moves was all he could do. He didn't have a weapon yet, so Emerald, a green-haired and dark-skinned thief with a sharp tongue was out since she mostly leaned on her blades to finish the job. Mercury used mostly his kicks, but Jaune's legs were more noodles than actual kicking feet.

Torchwick fought dirty. He mostly used his cane, Melodic Cudgel, but he was a brawler at heart. Those were the moves that the blonde (well, former blonde seeing as his hair had been died to be more of an orange hue to help hide his identity) could pick up the easiest.

"Look out!" He yelled towards Mercury, eyes widening in horror at the scene behind the boy as he dashed towards him, arms wide.

"Nice try, kid," he smirked and readied himself. Jaune cursed.

 _Damn! That usually works, especially when Torchwick does that._

Eyes searching the area for anything of use, Jaune spotted a lone red crystal on the floor.  
Mercury blinked.

"Are you seriously gonna try that? That's cheap, man."

 _Well, I'm out of options._

With a yell, he threw the crystal towards the boy and ran forward with all his might, fists ready to connect with flesh. He expected to at least land a blow and injure Mercury for the first time ever. What he didn't anticipate was the crystal exploding in midair as it connected with Mercury's kick.

Jaune was launched backward while Mercury shielded himself with his arms.

"What the hell are you kids doing?!" Torchwick yelled while coughing through the smoke the blast has created. "You could've gotten yourself killed, or worse, caused a chain reaction to get us all blown up!"

Jaune groaned. Once again, his head had not been safe from another impact with a hard object. Crates seemed to like hurting him.

 _I really need to get a safety helmet at this rate..._

He shook his head and got up, dizzy on his feet.

Only to immediately get slammed against the crate again.

"Boy, do not ever do something as foolish as this ever again," Torchwick growled, unyielding fury burning in his eyes. Jaune gulped. He had never seen the usually so smooth criminal so angry before. There was an inexplicable rage within those green orbs usually clouded in thoughts of mischief.

"Have I made myself clear, huh? Huh?!"  
Jaune nodded and breathed in as soon as he got dropped onto his feet again. Without another word, Torchwick walked off to talk with one of his henchmen, Blanc. Mercury had vanished, no doubt trying to avoid Torchwick's wrath.

Jaune's heart was pounding. He should have been used to such random acts of violence, even if he hadn't seen Enciel in two weeks.

Trying to forget that terrifying ordeal, Jaune focuses his attention on Blanc. His illusion of a shirtless, bald, tattooed punk had been shattered as soon as he got a glimpse of the guy a week or so ago. Instead, he was dressed in a fine and clean black suit with a red tie. He had a neat goatee and quite blinding white hair. One could almost mistake him for a Schnee, if not for the blazing orange eyes hidden behind his shades.

"Ah, Blanc. What have you got for me today?" Torchwick said with his arms outstretched, no sign of his previous ire.

 _This man is an outstanding actor._

Blanc grinned and called for some other men.

"Yo, bring the shiz here!"  
 _This voice and that attire do not go together._

Jaune sighed and turned to walk away, to the shabby place he generously called his 'temporary home'. In truth, it was actually a run down and abandoned apartment near the warehouse. It had three rooms, one of which had been so infested with rats that Jaune would surely never set foot in there, not in a million years. The other ones were a dirty bathroom and a cramped bedroom filled with things that must have belonged to the previous owner.

 _Wonder what happened to them._

Jaune coughed as soon as he entered the apartment. He still hadn't gotten around to cleaning up the immeasurable amount of cobwebs populating the place. He thought it would be useless given he was going to attend Beacon soon anyway, but now that another spider was probably being dissolved in his stomach acid, he wondered whether he really should do it.

 _...nah._

After taking extreme care to avoid the 'room of disgust' as he liked to call it, Jaune opened the door to the bedroom, reading himself for the sight that always greeted him. Statues of Grimm carved out of wood were lined up on the window. Beowolves were facing Ursai, a Deathstalker looked ready to poison a Goliath that seemed like it couldn't care less. A lone Griffin was hung from the ceiling. It was...an interesting place.

 _Good thing there are no Geists. I would've thrown it out of the damn window otherwise._

Jaune sighed and sat down on the dusty bed.

Only to jump as Visia appeared underneath from underneath it.

"Hello, Jaune," Salem spoke through the Seer, amused at his sudden shock.

"I'll never get used to this..." Jaune muttered. Visia was his own personal Seer Grimm, the jellyfish-like monster that terrified him the day he was brought here. Now he has his own that he dubbed Visia. He didn't know why he called her that, but he figured it would make her less scary. Not that Grimm had genders, but cutifying it was the best course of action, he supposed.

It had the effect of just making it plain awkward.

"How goes your training?" Salem asked, her smile lingering. Jaune shrugged, feeling oddly calm around what probably should have terrified him the most. He had already stopped thinking about it a little while ago though.

"It...goes, I guess."

Salem sighs, and puts her chin into her hand.

"Child, please do not misunderstand. We have given you the opportunity, but you must still work hard to earn that place. I... know the headmaster and while he will likely keep you in the school no matter what, he is not taking any extra measures in keeping you alive."  
A deep grunt could be heard in the background as heavy footsteps retreated. Salem ignored it as well as Jaune's raised eyebrow.

"The last thing I want is for you to perish."

Jaune opened his mouth for a question and closed it again, afraid of the answer he might receive.

 _I don't want to be disappointed and betrayed. Not again._

"Do not be afraid, child," Salem softly whispered. "I will not let you die. In any case, Roman is asking for you."

With that, the Grimm vanished under his bed again. Jaune blinked, not sure what to make of the strange creature, but he went out anyways. He was tired and would rather sleep, but he knew how much Torchwick hated waiting. He just hoped that his attendance wouldn't be requested again after he makes his way back home in the hopes of catching some Zs.

He almost bumped into Blanc outside. The smarmy street punk just stared at him and then walked away to wherever. Jaune sighed, not really a fan of him. He knew that he was the corrupt type of person, extremely so even. From what he heard, Blanc ran some sort of business in town. The cash usually went to Torchwick's exploits.

 _Kingpin's gotta fund his crimes somehow._

Jaune disapproved of all that, he really did, but what could he do? This was his only shot, his only chance to get to where he always wanted. Would it really be so horrible to use the help of more shady individuals to reach that, as long as he didn't partake in any of it? Yeah, it should be fine. What other choice did he have?

"Oh look, he lives!" Mercury exclaimed with mock surprise as soon as he saw Jaune step his foot back inside the warehouse. Rolling his eyes, the very much alive teen marched towards Torchwick, ignoring the silver-haired boy.

"Ah, kid, there you are. Next time I'd rather you not wander off."  
Jaune just shrugged and remained silent, still feeling the bruises of being slammed against a damn crate. Torchwick may not look like it, but he was insanely strong.

"Whatever, whatever. Now, here it is."  
"What's here?" Jaune asked, suspicious. The last time he received something from the man, it turned out to be a rat. A literal rat.

The rodent was pretty tame though, just looking around in general confusion, but it still managed to freak Jaune the hell out. It didn't help that Torchwick was laughing his ass off. Neo herself was rolling on the floor in silent gasps.

Said criminal rolled his eyes. "Do I have to spell out everything for you? This long box, kid."

The aforementioned box turned out to be a metal case, about three feet in length. At Torchwick's urging, the former blonde hesitantly opened it.

"What do you think?"  
What did Jaune think? He didn't think anything. He couldn't think anything.

He was overwhelmed.

A single staff was inside, its marble white coloring almost hurting Jaune's eyes. The two ends of the staff had holes, presumably for shooting out dust crystals.

"Whose weapon is that?" Jaune asked, not believing his eyes. Torchwick yawned and bonked Jaune on his head.

"Yours, kid."

With trembling fingers, Jaune reached into the case and pulled it out. He was expecting it to be heavier, but it was surprisingly light. He could almost swing it around.

"Watch it, kid," Torchwick said and moved the end of the staff away from his face. "It took me quite a bit of money to get this custom made for you. Can't have you expelled or dead day one in Beacon or else Cindy'll have my head. Or Neo."  
Jaune shuddered at the mention of ice-cream girl. Somehow, she's really gotten a taste of teasing him mercilessly. Just the day before she thought it would be funny to release an entire case of spiders into his room.

 _Signs of affection, sure. Whatever you say, Torchwick._

"So, what's its name? What can it do?" Jaune asked, trying his hardest not to sound like a giddy schoolboy on his first day of school.

"The thing doesn't have a name until you give it one, idiot, but know that it can split into two shorter, well, let's call them batons. As for its functions..."  
Without warning, the criminal pressed a single button near the middle. Jaune almost jumped when flames shot out on either side, but they didn't burn down the entire hall. Instead, they lingered on the staff's ends, creating two flickering and crackling pyres.

Torchwick laughed. "What do you think?"  
Jaune remained silent, his brain working overtime.

 _Oh my Gods._

He burst out laughing.

"Goddamnit Roman, you're so damn narcissistic!"

It was a double-ended torch.

* * *

"Make it fear you. Be stronger than it shall ever be, then you may control it."  
His hand shaking, Jaune focused all of his thoughts on the Geist living within him. Salem was able to draw a part of it out that's slowly taking over his hand. He had no idea how she did it, and all she gave him was a mysterious smile when asked.

"It...it's still too strong."  
"Focus, child. All you need is willpower. Overpower it with your own stronger will. Tell it what you desire and then make it obey."  
 _You won't keep me from my dream, Grimm. I will become a hero and you cannot stop me. You will not stop me!_

The Geist kept going, slowly making Jaune lose control over his arm.

"AARGH!"  
"Frustration and anger are a strong conductor, but they make you lose your mind and reasoning. I believe it is time to stop for today."  
And just like that, the Geist vanished back into his mask. Jaune was panting heavily, feeling ready to punch himself.

 _Why? Why can't I be stronger?_

"We shall continue the training another time. Until then, please do rid yourself of your anger, child."  
With that, Visia floated away creepily, leaving Jaune lying on the cold hard floor of the storage hall.

 _What am I supposed to do in order to become a hero? I can't just hide in here forever. I need an opportunity._

"Now, now. There is no need for all this weaponry. It's all just going to be a simple, nice robbery."  
"Sure thing, boss."  
Jaune raised an eyebrow when Blanc dropped a bazooka a lot bigger than himself onto the floor and just grabbed a gun instead. It wasn't really an uncommon sight for the men to flaunt gigantic weapons around, but he'd rather not see that when he was already feeling frustrated. He still had that feeling of wrongness watching crime get committed right in front of his eyes.

 _Don't they have any shame?_  
It wasn't that they absolutely needed to be criminals, no, they reveled in it. They loved their job. Jaune hated that in them.

"It'll be easy!" Torchwick flaunted, voice muffled by his cigar. "The shopkeep is only an old man!"

 _HE WHAT?_

With a jump, Jaune dashed towards Torchwick. The flamboyant thief raised an eyebrow.

"Now, now. This is no job for children."  
"How can you do this to an old man?!" Jaune growled. "Are you seriously just gonna steal what he's worked so hard for?"

Torchwick laughed, riling him up even further.

"You wouldn't understand. The world is cruel! Only the smartest survive. And don't worry, boy," Torchwick smirked. "We won't use force unless necessary. Just for you."  
"He's soft," Blanc chimed in, stroking his goatee. Jaune was certain that his eyes were glowing in utter mirth.

He couldn't do anything. They just walked out of the door where a bullhead was awaiting them. He clenched his hands into fists, almost drawing blood with his nails.

 _Isn't there anything I can possibly do?!_

Jaune's eyes narrowed as his mind conjured the possibly stupidest idea ever in the history of Remnant.

Everyone was busy. Nobody would notice if he snuck out. Cinder was out, Mercury was who knows where, and Neo was probably playing with her pet rat. Jaune grabbed his newly dubbed Spiritod Lux and attached the two parts of it on either side of his belt. It was now or never.

The Bullhead's turbines were already blaring loudly, so loud that Torchwick had to shout over them to talk to Blanc. Which was just fine for Jaune. He snuck behind it, unnoticed by the pair.

 _Now what? I can't just jump into it, they'd notice._

Jaune bit his bottom lip as he tried to think of what Salem taught him.

 _I gotta tell it what I desire and make it obey. Come on, Jaune, you can do this. I just need the right moment._

The doors were about to be shut, the bullhead ready for takeoff. Sweat ran down his face despite the wind from the turbines. Come on!

 _Come on, monster!_

This was his only chance to be heroic. He must be heroic. He must be a hero! If not now, when? If not now, he'll be stuck in this godforsaken warehouse for another two month and then get sent off to a school **filled with heroes**! He had to be one, he had to be the best! He needed to rescue the shopkeeper from what nefarious plans Torchwick had! If not him, who? There was an extremely high chance he was going to die. This was his only shot to become a hero!

He was certain that it was too late.

Before he knew it, he was inside the bullhead.

 _Wh-whu?_

Jaune almost made a noise but covered his mouth before he could. He was in the back of the airship, hidden behind a number of crates no doubt filled with weapons or dust or maybe both.

 _What the hell just happened?_

He could hear Torchwick and Blanc chatting at the front, hopefully unaware that the teen had somehow just teleported onto their ship. Teleported? Was it really?

He had almost missed it, but Jaune noticed the final tiny cloud of black return to his skin.

 _Did I...do it? Did I manage to command the Geist?_  
He allowed a smile to spread on his face as warmth flooded through him. He was still a stowaway though, so he probably shouldn't cheer. Still, he had finally managed to gain some semblance of control! Well, maybe it was a one-off thing, but any change was welcome.

"So, where to, Boss? Middle of Vale, eh?" Blanc asked with his rough voice. Jaune was glad that he could still hear them, stowed at the back of the crates as he was. He probably should have thought it through more, but he had no idea where they were actually going.

"Yes, but first let us drop by at our...friend Junior. You do remember the place, don't you?"  
Jaune pulled a face.  
 _I definitely should have thought this through._

* * *

The trip was a surprisingly short one, barely ten minutes long according to his scroll. Still, those ten minutes seemed to stretch to an eternity with Jaune's anticipation and nervousness. There was mild chatter here and there at the front, but nothing substantial. Just small talk. Though Jaune did learn that Blanc hated his family from what he could deduce from the tone of voice when Torchwick mockingly asked about them.

Eventually, the bullhead descended. Jaune almost sighed in relief, but held his silence.

 _Take no chances._

The back of the aircraft didn't have any windows, so he had no idea where he was, nor how high above they were.

"Alright, let's get them," Torchwick called out as his feet hit the concrete. Jaune bit his lip. When would be the right time to leave? When would he be able to get out unnoticed? He tried to listen to the voices of Blanc and Torchwick, deciding that it would be a good time to leave when they were out of earshot.

"Wait, why are you following me? I need a good guard dog for our beloved bullhead!" Torchwick's slimy voice taunted. Jaune could hear his blood run cold as soon as Blanc snarled.

 _Time to run._

It was a good thing the two openings of the bullhead always opened at the same time. Jaune took that moment to dash and jump off the aircraft, hoping to the dear Gods that they still were too far away to hear his impact with the floor.

 _One...two...three...no calls from them. Good._

Looking around, Jaune saw the illuminated streets of what was presumably the City of Vale. It was already almost midnight, so most buildings had already extinguished all light. His eyes darting around, Jaune quickly ran off as silently as he could and hopefully out of sight from Blanc's watchful orange gaze.

 _And just like that, I'm lost._

The street he had entered only had one road in the middle of houses and building, but Jaune had never been here before. He was utterly, utterly lost.

Groaning, he took a quick check at his scroll. What were they planning on robbing again? A store, but what kind of store? What sort of store would still be open on this ungodly hour?

 _Damnit, Jaune! Think next time before you act!_  
Jaune groaned, but there was nothing he could do. He just felt stupid now, just rushing into action without any sort of plan. Nobody was around anyways, so he couldn't ask-

"La la la~"

A girl's soft singing reached Jaune's ears as his head snapped into her direction. She was innocently frolicking across the street, headphones on her head. Her entire attire and hair were red and black, not really what Jaune would have suspected from such a little girl. She couldn't have been older than fourteen, not from how short she was.

She had no business being here, not at this time.

"Excuse me," he called out. No response. Of course. Biting his lip, he caught up to her in just a few strides and tapped on her shoulder-

"Kyaa!"  
-and found himself at the end of a sniper rifle. Jaune's breath hitched as he forced the sudden shock down, ignoring the sudden twitching in his fingers.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"  
The girl transformed her weapon into a more compact form and stowed it away.

 _WHY THE HELL DOES SHE HAVE A WEAPON?!_

"No no, it's okay. I shouldn't have startled you," Jaune said, blushing slightly.

 _Now's not the time to have social anxiety, Jaune!_

He cleared his throat.

"Uh...where are you going? It's a little bit late out to be still walking around, little red."  
 _Smooth, Jaune. Very smooth._

"Oh, I'm off to check out the dust shop, 'From Dust Till Dawn'! I heard they've got some amazing weapon ma...gazines..."  
Almost as if realizing what she was doing, the girl's voice trailed off. Awkward silence ensued as Jaune's mind began working.

 _A dust shop open this late? This must be it, right?_  
"Lead me to it," he demanded. "Please."

Little red tilted her head slightly, like a confused puppy. "Why, are you-"

Her eyes caught the batons on Jaune's belt.

"Oh my God! Is that your weapon? Are you attending Beacon? Will you become a huntsman? I wanna go there too, but I'm too young and still have a few years to go, but my sister will be attending! So, you gonna check out the store too?"  
She was way too overexcited for Jaune, but he decided to go along anyway.

"Suuuure...I, uhm, love me some weapon magazines."

He still had his qualms about having her wander around but she was his only lead. If push came to shove, he'll protect her. That's what heroes do after all.

"So...I didn't catch your name," the girl said quietly while the two walked across the street.

"Jaune A-, uh, I mean Jaune Cyclamen."  
 _Too close._

The girl frowned with an awkward smile.

"That's a weird name! So exotic! I'm Ruby Rose."

Jaune had no idea what to think of the girl, but one thing was clear. She was weird. Not just in her excitable personality though.  
Her eyes, silver orbs filled with childish innocence. They disturbed him the most.


	7. Chapter 7

**I've finally managed to pull myself together. I'm really sorry about the months of nothing, but I'm trying to get back into it now!**

"Speech"  
 _Thoughts_

 **Flashback**

* * *

 **A Cross of Black and White**

Jaune's head was filled to the brim with static noise. Though the girl, Ruby, said that the dust store was only a little away, to him it felt like ages. His mind was swirling with possibilities. Was he just going to fend away the mooks that Torchwick was sure to bring? He let one of his hands rest on Spiritod. It didn't hurt to be prepared, after all.

"So...uhm..."

As excited as she was earlier, Ruby didn't really have anything else to talk about except weapons it seemed. And since Jaune tried to ignore her for the most part, she didn't know what to do, judging from her uncertain facial expression. He felt a bit bad, letting her lead a silent stranger to a future crime scene, but she was his only lead. And in an unknown city such as Vale, he would surely get lost in a manner of minutes, possibly even seconds.

Suddenly, Jaune could see a light shining in the distance, not too far away. Narrowing his eyes, he could make out a storefront. It was hard to see, but a figure could be seen inside.

 _Looks like they're moving some boxes._

"Is that it?" He asked.

"Yup! Dust Till Dawn."

Ruby skipped ahead, excitement visible within her springy steps. Jaune, on the other hand, was more cautious. He was keeping an eye out for any shady figures that could be lurking in the dark alleyways. He should arrive there long before Torchwick and Blanc did, surely.

It seemed his caution was unnecessary since he made it to the store without any nasty interruptions. Although, they could actually be hiding still, waiting for the right opportunity.

Maybe until we're gone. Scumbags, waiting for an old man to be all alone...

Gritting his teeth a little and ignoring the flaws of his logic, Jaune stopped right before the entrance. Ruby was there already, looking at him with confusion written over her face.

 _This is it. If-, no...when I go in there, I have to stay in there until it happens. No backing out, Jaune._

Taking a deep breath, he stepped in, with Little Red Ruby following behind him.

The inside of the store was bright, almost too much so. Jaune had to shield his eyes until they got used to the glare of the ceiling lamp's light. Dust crystals were on display at the counter, ranging from the colors blue, red, yellow to green. It was also in its powdery form, filling tubes on the side.

Ruby immediately dashed to the magazines located on the right side of the store after saying a quick 'Hi!' to the shopkeep, an old man with grey hair and beady eyes. That man grunted at Jaune in a questioning tone.

"Just looking around," the boy in question answered.

That seemed to satisfy the shopkeep who went back to standing behind the counter to... count his money for the day. By the looks of it, the amount of lien is staggering, but not to the extent of Torchwick's collection. Jaune has seen the exact amount, he knew.

 _He's rich, yet he turned to a life of crime. Or did he get rich because of crime?_

With a pounding heart, Jaune went to look at the magazines as well, constantly throwing a discreet look through the window. Though it was hard to make out anything in just the moonlight, he should be able to see someone suspicious approaching, moreso an entire group of shady people.

 _Not to forget, Torchwick's coat is pure white. Nobody can miss that and his flaming hair._

With every tick of the clock on the wall, Jaune's heart jumped a beat. He kept telling himself he could do this, that he could stop the evildoers from robbing an old man. He had trained for over a month.

 _They've been dabbling in crime their whole life._

He shook his head. There was no need for those stupid thoughts right now. Thoughts of weakness, of doubt, were to be instilled in the enemy, not yourself. Such were the words of Salem.

He flinched.

The silence was pierced by a sudden sound. Jaune let out a short gasp and turned around only to find little Ruby putting on headphones with their volume up pretty high. Hand over his heart, he waved at the concerned looking shopkeep with a reassuring grin.

 _Way to be jumpy, Jaune._

It never hurt to be cautious, but being overly cautious could be a detrimental factor as well.

The minutes ticked by. What was taking Torchwick so long?

 _Does the Kingpin of Vale need his time getting himself pretty?_

He chuckled a bit at the thought of the master thief putting on make-up and lipstick. The eyeliner was already there, funnily enough.

"Hey Jaune, look at th-"

Before the boy could even answer, Ruby's words were drowned out by his own beating heart. His eyes widened as he gripped the right part of Spiritod tight. It was unmistakable, as he thought. They were still quite a bit away, but the moon shone directly on Roman Torchwick like a spotlight.

"Jaune?" Ruby asked. He could hear confusion as well as concern in her voice, but now was not the time.

"What are you doing?"

He couldn't respond as he moved out of sight of the window. They couldn't have recognized him, no way. From the looks of it, Torchwick, as suspected, had hired a little entourage of mooks dressed in black suits, the getup you'd expect from a band of bad guys. Although...the red glasses are something else.

He pulled the two pieces of Spiritod Lux out of their holster and put them together, eyes still focused on the group coming closer and closer. He could really see Torchwick sauntering towards the store now, cigar flaring every now and then.

"Ruby? Mr...uh...Shopkeep? You better run. There are criminals about to wreck this place," Jaune said, going into a battle stance. Despite the confident demeanor he was trying to convey, his shivering hands gave his true emotions away. This was it. The deciding battle. The moment of heroism he had been dreaming of since he was little. Torchwick was a criminal, no doubt. All that training with him was not horrible, but in the end, Roman Torchwick was just another shady face seeking to disturb the peace of Remnant.

 _So why am I shivering this much? Am I that afraid?_

Gritting his teeth, Jaune tried to force those emotions away. He'd rather not get Geist...the Geist involved. He was not out to kill, after all, something the Grimm would definitely have no qualms about. Heroes don't kill...except Grimm, but those were soulless beings anyway. They were made to be killed.

 _Then...what about me? Am I to be killed too?_

The teen growled and slapped his cheeks. Was now really the time for that?! No matter how much he tried to banish those thoughts, they always came back, at times even stronger.

To distract himself, Jaune glanced back in the hopes of finding Ruby and the old man gone...

Only to find Ruby unsheathing a giant red scythe while the old man called the authorities on an old phone instead of a scroll.

Not really the sight he expected, at least what Ruby was doing. The shopkeep calling the police was expected. Although, why did he believe him immediately?

"Uh huh. Roman Torchwick," the old man muttered into the receiver, causing a lightbulb to go off over Jaune's head.

 _Of course. Guy's famous. He must have seen him too._

He had no idea whether that's good or bad-

 _Wait, that's bad! Really bad! What if the police identify me?_

Instinctively, he reached out a hand to touch his orange hair. Surely this must be enough to hide his identity? He was only in Vale once and that was years ago. Unless the entirety of Remnant was out to search him, which is something he wouldn't doubt Enciel ordering, actually. Was there anything he could do?

A quick scan around the area showed Jaune the clothes rack on his side of the door. As fast as he could, he grabbed the brown coat and hat hanging there, ignoring the grunt of protest coming from the old man. And not a moment too soon.

The door opened, making Jaune's blood run cold. He kept his gaze to the wall on the side, hoping to the dear Gods Torchwick didn't recognize him. He held his staff in front of himself, trying to obscure it from view.

"Men, take care of those...side characters."

The unmistakeably smooth voice of the master thief caused the boy's entire body to sweat. One wrong move could make this go wrong. One single wrong move.

Heavy footsteps met the floor in sync with his heart. Several, by the sounds of it, maybe two sets? Still, Jaune didn't dare move.

"Now, do you know how hard it is to find a dust store open this late?"

Torchwick had already started to threaten the poor owner. And what was Jaune doing? Shivering like a damn coward. Fear, was this fear? It was a different fear from most he had felt before, much stronger.

Whatever it was, it was strong enough for a certain creature.

 _Nonono, this is bad!_

A hand met his shoulder and turned him around roughly, causing him to face the grim stare of a hardened criminal with crimson glasses.

"I...," Jaune began to say, but no words came out. He should have expected this, these complications. Complications like his own reluctance? Why was he so afraid of fighting?

 _Just...why?_

He gripped his staff tight with his still human hand and clenched his eyes shut, only to open them again.

 _Screw it. There is no return from this._

But before he could even let out a roar to boost himself, the man was sent through the window. Blinking in confusion, he saw that Ruby too was outside, her scythe's blade aimed at the man. Her eyes were glinting. A glint that made him shiver.

"Tch. Take care of her. And...," Torchwick muttered loudly. This was Jaune's cue to get the hell out of there. By jumping through the shattered opening Ruby had just created and straight into the nearest alleyway.

 _Dammit Jaune!_

He bit his lip and looked at Ruby still fighting. She was fast, almost inhumanly so. She fought with precision and would've sliced the mooks up were it not for their aura. Against her, they seemed like amateurs. A quick glance to his hand showed that Geist still hadn't calmed down.

 _Fear me!_

Of course, that pathetic mental attempt of scaring the Geist off wouldn't work at all. It just kept creeping up his arm, no matter how many hushed threats were thrown against it and no matter how hard his grip on his arm was. In the meantime, Ruby was still very easily fending the criminals off and doing a great job at it too. She was great.

He didn't like it at all.

What was his purpose for coming here then? He let go of the grimmified arm and stared at the battlefield with a glare.

 _What does she have that I don't? She's younger than me, so she must be uncontrollably inexperienced..._

Not that he was that much more experienced, but he was certain that she had led a peaceful life until now. After all, how else could anyone be so annoyingly happy and cheery? He clenched his fist...no, he clenched his claw. What was his purpose then? If everything was going to be solved by one little girl, what was the point of coming?

He was ripped out of his thoughts when a henchman landed at Torchwick's feet, the owner of which had just stepped out of the shop.

"You were worth every cent, truly you were...," the flamboyant man muttered, looking at his fallen accomplice. His gaze then set on Ruby, a playful smirk on his lips.

"Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around..."

He aimed his cane at her, causing Jaune's eyes to widen.

"This...is where we part ways."

Jaune already dashed off before the blast even left the cane. He could already feel his consciousness fading, albeit much slower than in any of the instances before. The Geist was taking over and he couldn't stop it. But if he could at the very least shove Ruby out of the way, he would've done one deed that day.

The darkness closed in and he could already feel the impact-

A bright light exploded to the right of his face.

It tore into his skin, introducing him to a world of agony. Black and white spots dominated his view, clashing with each other in a blurry of grey, until they finally faded to black.

* * *

Darkness. Only darkness.

 _Wake!_

Right...he was in battle, he was about to face Roman Torchwick and defend the old shopkeeper...right...

 _...an...awa...dangerou..._

The silence was deafening, despite his own voice in his head desperately trying to get him to rise and wake up from this world of black.

 _WAKE!_

He rose with a startled scream, eyes opening to an alley lit only by the shattered moon above. He blinked twice, staring at the rain descending from above that drenched his entire body. Lightning cracked through the sky. At least he assumed it did, considering his ears still didn't do their job.

But not only his ears, he couldn't feel anything at all. He may have risen, but that sudden movement was all he was capable of. He was sitting on the dirty ground, close to trash cans and other disgusting pieces of garbage people have carelessly thrown into the alley.

 _I...what?_

Seconds passed, and then...

The sound of rain hitting the ground finally reached his ears, the thunder above roared with the might of a lion and the floor felt cold and wet. He could feel the weight of the coat on him still. The hat was gone though.

"What...what just...," Jaune whispered, voice weak and dry. He touched the left side of his face with his right hand and immediately flinched. He pulled his fingers away from the dull, throbbing pain that lingered still. He could still remember the agony that almost tore him apart before his blackout. While most of the pain had already subsided and he could feel most of his body again, his left arm didn't seem to have gotten the memo. Moving it was possible, but...

He tried to touch it, but felt nothing. An extremely short glance at his left hand told him that he charred his entire arm, judging from the black. He hissed, not looking at it again, instead stuffing that hand into the coat's pocket. He took deep breaths, trying not to panic. There was no use thinking about it now, not until he found a medic. But even that could be terribly dangerous. He needed to find out where he was, first of all.

With staggering steps and by supporting himself on the brick wall, he stumbled his way out onto the streets. The sight that greeted him was not one that filled him with joy. Rather, he despaired over the unknown sight that showed itself to him. Houses and shops were lined up against the street, none of which seemed familiar at all. Only darkness came through their windows. The only lights that shone were the weak flickerings of the broken street lamps and the gentle shine of the moon through the fading rain.

 _Great. Just great._

Jaune sighed and tried to reach for his scroll as the rain completely cleared. It should still be somewhere in his pockets, he surmised, seeing as he never took it out during the squabble with the gang. He ignored the fact that he didn't fight at all with a roll of his eyes. He did rush in to save Ruby in the end, so-

He blinked and then frowned. The memory of what happened after he rushed in seemed completely gone from his mind. He tried to dig deep within his memories, but the last thing he remembered was utter pain and agony. Pain and agony...

He tried to touch his left cheek again, feeling the lingering amounts of dull throbbing still left. While this would probably be fatal for a civilian, his aura should have shielded him from any harm. Though the dust must have been pretty strong to leave this much pain behind, lasting injuries should take no longer than a few minutes to heal.

Finally, he could feel the cold metal of the scroll in his palm. A wave of relief washed over him since the loss of the device would mean he was completely and utterly lost. Now all he needed to do was turn it on and...

"..."

His heart seemed to stop for a moment.

 _DAMN IT!_

He tossed the shattered scroll onto the floor, breaking it into a million pieces. He breathed heavily, staring at the shards of what Roman gave to him a while ago, just after he got 'accepted' into Beacon.

* * *

 **"Huh...this is for me? From you?"**

 **Seeing the skeptical look on Jaune's face, Roman scoffed and lit a cigar.**

 **"Sure, sure. Don't mention it, kid. It would be pretty strange for you not to have one after getting into Beacon, y'know? Suspicions and all."**

 **Jaune pulled the device apart, already seeing it connected to his aura, blinking at a healthy green like a video game's HP bar.**

 **"So...who paid for it?"**

 **But before he got an answer, Roman had already left to rob another bank. At least that's what he suspected, it really wouldn't surprise the blonde at all.**

* * *

Slapping his cheeks, Jaune ripped himself from his memory. As a certain someone once said to him, it didn't do well to dwell on the past. Rather, it's way more exciting to live in the present, the now. To face what will happen rather than what did.

Glancing at his shattered present once more, Jaune sighed. For some reason, he couldn't just leave it there. He tried to walk away, but something inside him kept pulling him back to the broken mess that was once a fine piece of technology. With another sigh, he picked up the pieces and put them in the pockets of the coat he stol- borrowed.

 _What a stroke of luck, for me to grab a coat able to carry all this._

Lucky or not, he felt like a fool. There he was, a proud and cursed warrior, picking up pieces of garbage like a homeless man desperate to find anything he could sell for an amount of lien.

A sharp pain coursed through him.

"Ouch!"

Jaune retracted his arm and stared at the hand that had just dropped that pointy piece of glass. A tiny amount of blood was dripping from his finger.

Shaking his head, Jaune went to pick up that last piece before standing in place.

 _What the hell am I doing? What am I supposed to do with it now?_

Still not able to shake that odd feeling of detachment, he turned and made to walk away. He didn't get very far though.

 _Wait...where am I going?_

Facepalming over his stupidity, Jaune's head moved around to see if there were any street signs, anything that showed him where he was. A bookshop caught his eye, located at the far end of the street.

 _Tukson's Book Trade? Maybe?_

He walked towards it, a tiny amount of hope in his mind.

 _Hope?_

He stopped in his tracks, frowning at the buzzing noise that started to grow in his mind. Shaking his head, he continued to walk forward.

 _Hope? Is it like despair?_

He kept ignoring it until the buzzing grew to almost inhumane strength. Gripping his temple, Jaune breathed out slowly.

"What the hell?"

The bookstore was still too far away, so Jaune moved to the side to let his head rest against the window of a rather small building.

 _Great, now a headache too. As if my head didn't already suffer enough today._

He looked into the window and...

He blinked. Was he seeing things? No, it couldn't be.

 _No way...it used to be only..._

Quickly throwing the coat off (and cringing at the sound of shards of glass hitting the ground), Jaune rolled up his sleeve to see the damage.

 _No..._

What he thought was just a heinous burn was far, far worse.

The reflection in the window showed that his left arm up to his cheek was entirely black.

That black wasn't a burn at all.


End file.
